Back To Our Glory Years?

Here's a May 16, 2008 PhilStar article written by Michael Punongbayan:

"Pinoys Say Their English Proficiency Getting Better"

Filipinos believe they are now understanding, reading, writing, speaking and thinking English better than they did two years ago, a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed yesterday.

Latest study results show Filipinos posting an 11-percent increase in self-assessed understanding of English, a 10 percent increase in reading and a 13-percent increase in writing English.

The nationwide survey, conducted from March 30 to April 2, and which covered 1,200 respondents, also revealed a 14 percent increase in speaking English and an 11-percent increase in the way Filipinos think in English.

The April 2008 SWS survey results were presented to the media yesterday at the Tower Club Makati through the Promoting English Proficiency (PEP) project, a joint initiative of the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ACCP). Compared to data gathered in 2006, the latest study shows notable
improvements on how Filipinos perform in both spoken and written English along with how they actually think in English.

“There was an alarming decline in English proficiency two years ago, now we have an apparent recovery,” SWS chief executive officer and president, Dr. Mahar Mangahas, said.

Past surveys showed an alarming drop in the level of self assessed English proficiency of survey respondents in all aspects of English language competence, especially in the area of actually speaking the language.

But two years after that, latest SWS data reveal an increase in the number of people using full English from 5 percent to 9 percent.

The survey likewise showed that respondents who were found to be almost not using English at all declined by 2 percent compared to 2006’s 19 percent.

Luzon and Mindanao showed greater recovery in English proficiency with a 15 to 20 percent and a 6 to 17 percent improvement in English competency, respectively.

“The problem lies in improving basic education in the Philippines. We are encouraging private sectors to spend on education,” said MBC chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr., believing that more should be done to improve Filipinos’ English proficiency.

According to him, basic education in the Philippines is still limited to ten years while other countries require 12 years.

“Problems in English are reflective of the overall problem in basic education and there are also problems not only in English but other subjects as well,” Del Rosario said.

Dr. Teresita Inciong, assistant secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) who was present during yesterday’s presentation of the SWS survey results, said the government has taken action insofar as providing training for teachers is concerned.

“Furthermore, the agency earmarked P265 million to build speech laboratories in public schools, both elementary and high school, in the country,” she reported.

Inciong added that teachers should be better selected since a child spends more time in school and educating them in these institutions is very important.

The SWS study results attributed the improvement in the English proficiency of Filipinos to greater awareness of the language, market-driven factors, and dependency on the Internet. “The focus is more on English proficiency since jobs(that are) more feasible need applicants who are good in English,” former DepEd Secretary Dr. Edilberto de Jesus said.

“Instead of dubbing original English programs in Filipino, the media should instead use subtitles in Filipino,” he said.

Despite the improvement in the way Filipinos understand speak, write, read, and think in English, officials and speakers who bared the latest SWS study results agreed that a sustained effort is needed to improve English proficiency in the country and bring the same back to its level in the ’60s to the ’80s.

“There is no room for complacency. There is so much work to be done,” De Jesus said. – With Helen Flores, Aedrianne Acar and Valerie Alonzo