Name: Cyril Berondo Petsa: 0ct.

11 2016

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 210

ESTABLISHING THE POLICY TO STRENGTHEN THE USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AS A MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

WHEREAS, Section 7, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution provides that for
purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines
are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English;

WHEREAS, it is a declared policy of the State to promote education as a means to

achieve and maintain an accelerating rate of economic development and social
progress;

WHEREAS, there is a need to develop the aptitude, competence and proficiency of

our students in the English language to maintain and improve their competitive
edge in emerging and fast-growing local and international industries, particularly in
the area of Information and Communications Technology [ICT];

WHEREAS, strengthening the use of the English language as a medium of

instruction also depends on the improvement of the entire educational system,
particularly in the training of educators and the provision of learning materials and
resources;

WHEREAS, the Department of Education [DepEd], the Commission on Higher

Education [CHED] and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
[TESDA] fully support the policies sought to be established herein and have
favorably endorsed the issuance of this Executive Order;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the

Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing
laws, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policies. The following policies are hereby established:

a. English shall be taught as a second language, starting with the First Grade.

b. As provided for in the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum, English shall be used as
the medium of instruction for English, Mathematics and Science from at least the
Third Grade level.

c. The English language shall be used as the primary medium of instruction in all
public and private institutions of learning in the secondary level, including those
established as laboratory and/or experimental schools, and non-formal and
vocational or technical educational institutions. As the primary medium of
instruction, the percentage of time allotment for learning areas conducted in the
English language is expected to be not less than seventy percent (70%) of the total
time allotment for all learning areas in the secondary level.

It is the objective of the foregoing policies to develop the aptitude, competence and
proficiency of all students in the use of the English language to make them better
prepared for the job opportunities emerging in the new, technology-driven sectors
of the economy.

SECTION 2. Institutions of Higher Education. Institutions of higher education,

including State Colleges and Universities [SUCs], are hereby encouraged to adopt
the use of the English language as the primary medium of instruction in the tertiary
level. The CHED shall adopt measures to promote and encourage the use of the
English language as the primary medium of instruction in the tertiary or higher
education level.

SECTION 3. Proficiency of Teachers. The DepEd, through the National Educators

Academy of the Philippines [NEAP], the Educational Development Project
Implementing Task Force [EDPITAF], the CHED, the TESDA, as well as through the
educational institutions in the private sector, shall evaluate the proficiency of
educators in the English language and conduct training programs nationwide to
develop and improve it.

SECTION 4. Support Mechanisms. The implementing authorities specified in

Section 5 hereof shall undertake to secure the funding support necessary to provide
adequate learning materials and resources that will develop the aptitude,
competence and proficiency of students in the English language. They shall also
collaborate in developing an evaluation instrument that will make it possible to
monitor the progress of educators and students in achieving the policy objectives
established herein.

SECTION 5. Implementing Authorities. The DepEd and the TESDA are hereby
directed to take active steps to ensure the implementation of this Executive Order
and monitor compliance therewith in all public and private institutions of learning in
the elementary and secondary levels, including those established as laboratory
and/or experimental schools, and non-formal and vocational or technical
educational institutions.

SECTION 6. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The DepEd, the CHED and the
TESDA are hereby authorized to issue the appropriate rules and regulations for the
effective implementation of the policies established herein.

SECTION 7. Report to the President. Within thirty (30) days from the issuance of
this Executive Order, the DepEd, the CHED and the TESDA shall submit to the
President a plan of action to effectively implement the provisions of this Executive
Order.

SECTION 8. Use of the Filipino Language. Pursuant to the Constitutionally-

mandated policy of the Government to ensure and promote the evolution,
development and further enrichment of Filipino as the national language of the
Philippines, the Filipino language shall continue to be the medium of instruction in
the learning areas of Filipino and Araling Panlipunan.

SECTION 9. Guarantee of Academic Freedom. Nothing in this Executive Order

shall be construed as limiting the academic freedom of institutions of higher
education.

SECTION 10. Repealing Clause. All executive issuances, rules and regulations or
parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Executive Order are hereby repealed,
amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 11. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon
approval

Ched memo order 20 (2013)

CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 20, series of 2013, otherwise known as the
General Education Curriculum: Holistic Understandings, Intellectual and Civic
Competencies is the policy cover for the revised General Education Curriculum
(GEC), which offers greater flexibility than the current curriculum. The passage of
the K to 12 Law enables such flexibility by freeing the GEC from Science,
Mathematics, English, Filipino, Literature, Humanities and Social Studies subjects
that are more appropriately taught in Senior High School. In so doing, the Law paves
the way for the exposure of undergraduate students to various dimensions of
knowledge and ways of comprehending social and natural realities that promise to
develop in the process, intellectual competenciescritical, analytical and creative
thinking and multiple forms of expressionand civic capacities demanded of
members of community, country and the world.

The interdisciplinary approach underlying the revised GEC hews closely to the
higher education mission of producing thoughtful graduates imbued with values
reflective of a humanist orientation (e.g., fundamental respect for others as human
beings with intrinsic rights, cultural rootedness, a vocation to serve); analytical and
problem solving skills; the ability to think through the ethical and social implications
of a given course of action; and the competency to learn continuously throughout
lifethat will enable them to live meaningfully in a complex, rapidly changing and
globalized world while engaging their community and the nations development
issues and concerns.

Although the philosophy of liberal education underpins the GEC, the CMO
nevertheless aims to produce students secure in their identity as individuals and
Filipinos, aware and proud of [their] collective identity and able to contribute
meaningfully to the development of Filipino society at local and national levels.
And even while General Education (GE) courses such as the Contemporary World
will focus on global conditions, they are expected to do so primarily from a Filipino
perspective.
The crafting of the revised GEC started in 2012 and took almost a year of public
consultations and public hearings before the CHED Commission En Banc (CEB)
finally approved it in March 2013.

A year later, however, college teachers of Filipino courses protested the exclusion of
Filipino, raising larger philosophical questions of language and its role in the higher
education curriculum vis--vis the goals of the revised GEC. The protest coincided
with public discussion of real concerns with the potentially adverse impact of K to
12 on the employment of teaching and non-teaching personnel.

In response to the petitions and position papers of teachers of Filipino, the CEB
referred the matter to the Technical Panel on General Education (TPGE) for careful
review and recommendation.

The TPGE conducted a series of zonal consultations in NCR, Luzon, Visayas and
Mindanao. Participants in the public hearings were asked for their views on
proposals received by the CHED that were clustered under two general headings:

On the medium of instruction

Teach at least nine (9) GE units in Filipino.

In addition to the Rizal course, teach at least 12 units of GE core courses in Filipino
(therefore, 15 units).
Leave the decision to teach in English/Filipino/any other Philippine language entirely
to the HEI.
Leave the decision to teach in English/Filipino/any other Philippine language entirely
to the individual teacher.
On the addition of Filipino subject(s) to the core courses

Add three (3) units of a Filipino subject on language, culture, and Filipino identity as
a GE core course.
Add nine (9) units of Filipino subjects as GE core courses.
Do not add Filipino subjects to the GE core courses.
In addition to the public hearings, the TPGE met with leaders of various Filipino
teacher organizations on 11 July 2014. Representatives from Higher Education
Institutions (HEIs), teacher organizations, and other concerned individuals and
groups were asked to submit their position papers on or before 30 July 2014.

The TPGE carefully considered and discussed at length all the positions taken by
various individuals and groups, presented their recommendation to the CEB in
October 2014 and submitted their report on 17 November 2014.

THE CHED POSITION

After long deliberations, the Commission En Banc asserts the following position on
the issue:

At its most basic, CHED believes in the fundamental role played by language in
education, as manifested in the reforms it has staunchly supported through K to 12,
but also of the role of education in the development of languagei.e., the
intellectualization of a language, in this case Filipino, through its use in academic
discourse. To be properly cultivated, Filipino cannot merely be taught as a subject,
but must be used in oral and written forms, across academic domains. For this
reason, the Commission urges the GE faculty as well as those teaching major
coursessince the GEC constitutes only 15% of the units taken by the typical
college studentto contribute to the intellectualization of our national language by
using it.

But while the use of Filipino across academic domains is desirable, the Commission
nevertheless recognizes that the process necessitates a broader effort
encompassing different domains and can only be taken gradually, considering the
array of socio-cultural, economic and financial constraints related to a shift to the
language as medium of instruction. These include: the availability of experts with
strong mastery in both the Filipino language and specific domains, the wide use of
English in academe and industry, and the possible impact of such move on our
students access to global knowledge and conversations.

To balance the constitutional provisions on developing the national language vis--

vis the academic freedom granted by the Philippine Constitution to institutions of
higher learning, the Commission proposes a two-pronged approach that will ensure
the availability of course descriptions and syllabi in Filipino, and more importantly,
of instructional materials and of faculty capacity in the teaching of core GE courses
in the Filipino language, while at the same time, provide higher education
institutions the freedom to respond freely to the needs of their students.

Without changing the provisions of CMO 20, the Commission shall support such
aims by providing incentives to HEIs that opt to use Filipino in the GE courses or
offer several sections of a given course in Filipino and other Philippine
languages. It shall also begin discussions with the Komisyon ng Wikang
Filipino (KWF) towards a partnership in developing a long-term plan that
integrates said effort with the wider higher education reform agenda. This
includes, but is not limited to, the provision of support and financial
incentives for the development of materials in Filipino.

Finally, the Commission recognizes that the current issue on

intellectualization of the Filipino language is closely linked with the very valid
concern of Filipino professors regarding possible displacement, a fear equally
shared by many faculty members in other disciplines, and by the
Commission itself, in light of the upcoming K to 12 transition.

Apart from the support and incentives to be provided for the development of
the Filipino language, the Commission assures stakeholders concerned that a
K to 12 Transition Plan for Higher Education Institutions is currently being
prepared by the Commission, in close coordination with DepEd, TESDA, DOLE
and PRC, to mitigate its possible negative impacts, foremost on faculty, while
also leveraging this period of transition to upgrade the quality of higher
education.
Issued this 27th day of November 2014 at the Higher Education
Development Center Building, C.P. Garcia Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City,
Philippines.

For the Commission:

[Sgd.] Patricia B. Licuanan, Ph.D.

Chairperson

Gullas bill
NEWSINFO / CDN - NEWS
523 SHARES
Gullas bill to revive English as language in classrooms
Cebu Daily News / 12:00 PM September 30, 2013
Cebu 1st district Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. wants to reintroduce English as the
primary language of instruction in all school levels.

We have high hopes that House Bill 1339, once enacted, will go a long way in
boosting the English competency of our future labor force participants and build up
the capability of our high school as well as college graduates to gain and maintain
employment, Gullas said.

Working language

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English is the worlds working language. It is also the language of technology.
Young Filipinos with inadequate English skills may risk getting marginalized in the
lucrative global labor markets of the future, Gullas added.

In a press statement, Gullas said his bill departs from the current Department of
Education (DepEd) policy provided by DepEd Order 3, series of 2012. Under this
policy, the language of instruction in grades 1-3 is the mother tongue or regional
native language like Bisaya, Hiligaynon, Bicolano and in grades 4 10, English and
Filipino.

HB 1339 provides English, Filipino or the regional/ native languange as teaching

language in all subjects from kindergarten to Grade 3. But the bill wants English to
be the medium of instruction starting in grades 4 to 10 and in junior and senior high
school.

Gullas expressed confidence that once English is fully revived in schools, students
would find it easier to learn both Math and Science. Co-relations show that English
proficiency translates positively to higher Math and Science abilities. This is partly
because most if not all of our Math and Science manuals are in English to begin
with, he said.

HB 1339 also proposed that English and Filipino shall be taught as separate subjects
in all levels of elementary and high school;

The current language policy prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education

shall be maintained in college; and

English shall be forcefully promoted as the language of interaction in schools. The

bill also categorically requires the use of English as the language of assessment in
all government examinations and in entrance tests in public schools as well as state
universities and colleges.