Educator Says Bilingualism is Making RP Lag Behind in Mastery of English

DAGUPAN CITY (PNA)—Bilingualism has put the Philippines behind other countries in the mastery of the English language.

This was the assertion of S. Remy Angela Junio, president of the St. Paul University in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, who nonetheless said that Filipino students can still catch up with their counterparts in other countries.

In a talk to newsmen shortly after the inauguration of Ilocos Region’s first call center there, Junio said it is the “Tag-lish” which is a language spoken by some young people that put the English language in the country in the back seat.

She said call centers are a big boon to the country because they are bringing so much money to ease the economic situation in the Philippines.

A chancellor of the St. Paul University system, Junio cited findings of the British Council which showed that Filipinos were the last among the students of various nationalities based on the result of English proficiency examination it had given.

She admitted that in some high schools, students are being allowed to speak both English and Tagalog or the vernaculars in their classrooms or inside campuses, possible spawning a language called “Tag-lish.”

The call center needs agents who can meet the rigid standard set by the company, especially in the command of the English language since they (agents) talk and deal with overseas callers.

However, statistics at the Pangasinan Employment Service Office (PESO) showed that only three or five of the 100 applicants for call center agents get employed because of the high standard imposed by the company, among them the mastery of the English language.

Junio said that while there should be more call centers in the country, the problem is that only few graduates qualify to become call-center agents because of their poor mastery of the English language.

“The call center can provide employment to our people but for as long as they are capable of speaking the (English) language very well,” she said.

She lauded a policy issued two years ago by President Arroyo to make English as a medium of instruction in schools for the country’s workers to become competitive with their counterparts abroad.

She said that on its own, St. Paul University is trying to do its part in strengthening its teaching on the English language to prepare students meet the demands of call centers.

Aside from this thrust, she said the university is offering five scholarships to five of the best public school students next year so that they can become proficient in English and become good language teachers afterwards.

She hoped that other private schools will do the same effort so that English can really be given enough focus in schools.

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This article was originally published in the Manila Bulletin.