What are the programme goals?
The programme has three specific goals:
1. Provide quality education for children ages 3 to 8 in the three language communities and improve their learning outcomes.
2. Support at least 1,500 parents, teachers and other responsible members of the community in implementing and sustaining MTB MLE and child protection programmes in their communities.
3. Build local and national support for MTB MLE policy and programmes.
What agencies or organizations support the programme?
Save the Children, Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding( MOU) with the Department of Education in Region 12. A Technical Working Group established as part of that MOU was instrumental in developing and approving MT-based teaching and learning materials.
Nine Language Advisory Committees were established early in the programme. They were composed of principals / school heads, teachers, parents, local public officials, tribal leaders and youth. The original intent was that the Language Advisory Committees would take the lead in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating MTB MLE activities. However, the Committees’ roles were changed when they became Community Based Child Protection Advocates and took responsibility for child protection and other activities relating to the MLE programme.
Region 12 of the Department of Education and SIL International provided technical guidance and support for materials development. They also helped develop lesson plans and trained teachers and day-care workers in using the MT-based teaching and learning materials.
Programme leaders worked with regional offices of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, government units at provincial, municipal and barangay levels and the National Commission on the Indigenous Peoples.
Does the programme have policy support?
In 2009, the Department of Education issued Order 74 calling for MTB MLE to be implemented throughout the country. 18 This Order required schools to use students’ mother tongue for instruction from pre-primary at least through Grade 3. Students’ MT with Filipino and English are all taught as subjects during those years. The government also passed the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, 19 which included MTB MLE. The Enhanced Basic Education Act together with Dep Ed Order No. 74 clearly demonstrated the government’ s support for MTB MLE throughout the Philippines.
Booklet for Case Studies
18 See https:// mlephil. wordpress. com / 2009 / 07 / 18 / deped-order-no-74-s-2009 / 19 See http:// www. deped. gov. ph / sites / default / files / order / 2013 / DO _ s2013 _ 43. pdf
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