‘Make Filipino, not English, medium of instruction’

A progressive teachers’ group has advised President Marcos to make Filipino the primary medium of instruction in schools, instead of English. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines said students should be taught in the language that they best understand. In his inaugural address on Thursday, Mr. Marcos said there should be an “emphasis” given to English as the “global language, which we had and lost.” “Language barrier is a basic reason why the Philippines lag behind and our students are at a disadvantage in these tests,” Vladimer Quetua, chair of ACT, said in a statement on Friday, referring to the international assessments like the Program for International Student Assessment and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study.