Gullas backs promotion of regional languages

CEBU, Philippines —  Despite being one of the leading advocates in Congress of English as the primary medium of instruction in schools, Cebu First District Rep. Eduardo Gullas said he does not have any quarrel with the promoters of regional languages.

Gullas issued the statement yesterday on the occasion of the worldwide observance of International Mother Language Day.

 “We do not have a quarrel with them. We are all for the promotion of native languages. But when it comes to formal learning in schools, we should encourage English as the teaching language as early as possible,” said Gullas.

Annually, February 21 is observed as International Mother Language Day to foster awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity. Gullas, who is also former Cebu governor, said that he is also for the preservation of regional language. In fact, he had been known for nurturing the Cebuano dialect through his yearly hosting of Cebu Pop Music Festival since 1980.

Gullas established the Cebu Pop Music Festival in his capacity as chairperson of the Cebu Arts Foundation Inc. The festival is now the country’s longest-running songwriting-singing contest and has over the years helped to produce and promote Cebuano-made music as part of the nation’s rich cultural heritage.

However, Gullas said he still wants Filipino students to eventually match the English proficiency of their peers in Singapore who have been excelling consistently in global reading, mathematical and scientific literacy assessments.

“This should be our long-term goal – for our elementary and high school students to at least equal the English reading and comprehension skills of their counterparts in Singapore,” said Gullas, who is also an educator.

Gullas said that the Filipino children deserve every opportunity to learn and grow so they can achieve the highest standard of living for themselves. 

He said that the children’s schooling have to align with the demands of the global reality where English is not only the common language, but also the language of business and technology.

He said millions of middle-class families in China, South Korea and other countries have been investing a lot of money to prepare their children in English as a second language and even hiring them English-speaking nannies and online tutors to assure them a superior quality of life. 

Gullas said he wants the Department of Education to send a small group of Filipino teachers to Singapore for a three-month immersion in the former British colony’s school system, as soon as the COVID-19 crisis is over.

“DepEd has to find out for itself exactly what Singapore is doing – that we are not doing here in our public school system,” Gullas added.—  FPL (FREEMAN)