Relearning English in public schools

It is no secret that we are no longer as proficient in speaking and writing in English because over the last 20 years or so, public education has downgraded English instruction. There was this theory that using Pilipino as the medium of instruction would increase comprehension among other things and deliver better educated Pinoys.

Well, that didn’t happen. The crazy thing is, most of our regional neighbors were going the other way – emphasizing English instruction to better equip their people to compete in today’s globalized world. Even China and Vietnam, whose current regimes couldn’t be faulted for lacking a sense of nationalism, are investing on teaching their people how to speak and write in English. They often hire Filipino English teachers.

In China, there is a feverish effort to make even taxi drivers able to communicate in English. I was told during my recent visit to Shanghai, ability to communicate in English is necessary for taxi drivers to renew their driver’s license. This is probably in preparation for the Olympics. It is also because China is now visited by a large number of foreigners, tourists and investors, something made obvious by the nearly hour-long wait behind long immigration lines at the airport.

The waning of our English-speaking and writing skills couldn’t have come at the worst possible time. Thousands of our graduates remain unemployed and many are unemployable here or abroad because of, among others, inadequate English language skills. Thousands of good jobs requiring ability to communicate in English are unfilled, even as our unemployment rate remains high.

Last I heard, only three out of 10 applicants for call center and other back office jobs are hired because of this problem. Henry Schumacher of the European Chamber of Commerce was telling me of a project wherein they provide English language training for some of those rejects and manage to get a good number of them hired after.

As even our DepEd now admits, our problem is also rooted in lack of teachers. A high percentage of current teachers have poor English skills. That’s because the younger teachers are products of the Pilipino curriculum we have had until recently. The older Filipino English teachers have left to work in China, Thailand, US, Vietnam.

The need to train teachers is obvious. The American Chamber of Commerce, working together with the Makati Business Club and the Philippine Normal University had a pilot group of teachers trained by DynaEd, a computer based interactive language course. Now, I am told by Bambina Buenaventura that they have gone beyond training teachers and have actually gone into the classrooms in selected public schools.

Two of the actual classroom applications of the DynaEd system are sponsored by Philip Morris Philippines in Batangas and by Pilipinas Shell Foundation at the Zamora Elementary School in Pandacan, Manila. Beneficiaries of the Philip Morris project are their scholars and college students from Lyceum of Batangas, Lipa City Colleges & Christian College of Tanauan.

The one from Pilipinas Shell Foundation benefits the Teachers‚ SPEECH (Specialized English Enhancement Course for High School and Elementary Teachers) Program. The beauty of the DynaEd system is that our public school teachers and students get trained not just in English proficiency but also in the use of computers as a multi-media teaching tool.

Incidentally, the DynaEd system also works in the workplace environment. Some corporations have actually started training programs for their employees to gain English proficiency as a tool to improve productivity. Solid Cement Philippines and PHINMA are examples of companies that used the DynaEd system for training their employees.

I imagine there are other systems that can be used to quickly upgrade the English language skills of our young people. There are those who say that preparing students for future jobs shouldn’t be the main concern of education. But then, we don’t have the luxury of educating our people for education’s sake. After going through our educational system, they have to already possess the skills needed for them to land jobs here or abroad.

Even those who seek employment as nurses, or even those who want to work as sailors, need to have better English language skills than the typical high school or college graduate now have. The time may soon come when China, Vietnam and other Asean countries would have better English language proficiency than us. We need to work overtime to regain our historical head start in this area.

The problem now seems too daunting. But if individual companies or groups adopt schools or classes the way Philip Morris and Shell did, the combined effort would yield a better result than if we just waited for government to get its act together in the public schools. Special programs for the currently unemployed would also help them improve their chances of landing a job. Language training is an area ripe for companies to take on as part of their corporate social responsibility projects.

Of course language skills are but one of the skills we need to invest on. But it is a very good place to start.

Tamiflu

According to the Times of India, the price for the main ingredient used to make the active substance in Tamiflu, shikimic acid extracted from the Star Anise spice, has increased from $40 per kilogram three months ago to $700 today. Roche, the Swiss drug company with the patent rights to produce the drug, is said to have cornered 90 percent of the supply of the basic ingredient.

Cipla, an Indian pharmaceutical firm, has been tasked to produce the generic version of Tamiflu, the drug that could be used to mitigate the effect of bird flu on humans. Since Roche has not applied for a patent on Tamiflu in India, health authorities there do not need the permission of Roche to make the drug, according to an Indian Health Ministry official.

Tamiflu is also caught in a silent global tug-of-war between its developer, Gilead Sciences, and Roche, the company marketing it worldwide. Gilead had served a notice of termination to Roche in June, allegedly for not being committed to promoting the drug, among other things. But even Gilead concedes that those who want to produce generic copies of Tamiflu will have to obtain their license from Roche, until a decision in its compulsory arbitration case is made. Globally, Gilead Sciences’ patent on oseltamivir expires in December 2016. But even this not clear.

Then again, the concept of a global patent is not universally accepted. Like the position taken by India, the local Intellectual Property Office, according to Sen. Ralph Recto, has said there is no such thing as a "global patent" and that Roche would have to apply for individual rights in different countries like the Philippines. This probably means local drug companies, assuming they can still get their hands on the active ingredient, can manufacture Tamiflu.

Or we can do it under World Trade Organization rules that allow countries facing a public health emergency to force the compulsory licensing of a drug like Tamiflu, if the patent holder resists. "There will be no patent infringement if the survival of millions is at stake," Recto said.

A number of countries, Taiwan, Thailand, India and Argentina, have taken unilateral action authorizing the generic production of the anti-viral drug. Assurances can be made that the generic production would cease when the bird flu emergency is over and reasonable royalties be paid to Roche.

Help desk

Speaking of computer literacy, Orly Morabe sent in a few examples of actual help desk conversations. Here’s one.

Hi good afternoon, this is Martha, I can’t print. Every time I try it says ‘Can’t find printer’. I’ve even lifted the printer and placed it in front of the monitor, but the computer still says he can’t find it...

Here’s another.

A customer couldn’t get on the internet.

Helpdesk: Are you sure you used the right password?

Customer: Yes I’m sure. I saw my colleague do it.

Helpdesk: Can you tell me what the password was?

Customer: Five stars.

And another...

Customer: I have a huge problem. A friend has placed a screensaver on my computer, but every time I move the mouse, it disappears!

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]