Philippines: MTB MLE Pilot Programme 17
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Philippines: MTB MLE Pilot Programme 17
MTB MLE RESOURCE KIT Including the Excluded: Promoting Multilingual Education
Which language communities are included in this MTB MLE programme and where do they live?
This MTB MLE programme serves three language communities: Maguindanao, Hiligaynon and Tboli. These three plus fifteen other ethnic groups— a total of about two million people – live in South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat areas of South Central Mindanao.
What was the educational situation for children in these communities before the programme began?
Widespread poverty in South Central Mindanao was having a negative impact on school attendance rates, completion rates and learning outcomes. The government had implemented a new policy that called for using students’ MT as a language of instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3 and for teaching it, along with Filipino and English, as a subject. The problem was that teacher training in MTB MLE methods was inadequate and teaching-learning materials were provided in only 19 of more than 170 Philippines languages.
17 Ms. Bonna Duron-Luder, Basic Education Advisor, Save the Children in the Philippines, provided information for this section.
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