A new law has been passed without President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s signature that changes how schools teach children from kindergarten to Grade 3. The law says that teachers will stop using children’s native languages (their “mother tongue”) as the main way to teach in classrooms. Instead, teachers will use Filipino and English, as required by the Philippine Constitution. The use of local languages will be allowed in special classes where all the students speak the same language.
This new law, called Republic Act No. 12027, amends parts of an earlier law, the “Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013.” Under this new law, children will still learn in their native language, but only in certain classes where everyone speaks the same language. For this to happen, the language must be approved by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), which is the organization that takes care of the Filipino language.
The Department of Education (DepEd) will help decide how this change will be done. They will create a policy that helps schools understand which languages their students speak. This will help figure out which schools can use a student’s native language in class.
The DepEd will also check how well the new law is working after three years, looking at things like teaching, resources, and how the program is helping students. They will give a report to the President and lawmakers every three years, which will help decide if the law should continue or be changed.
This new law will officially begin on October 27, 2024. It was approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
