Cebu Governor Garcia has ordered the provincial board of education to consider making English-language instruction and GMRC mandatory in public schools, the Cebu Sun-Star reports.
In public schools in Cebu Province, students in kindergarten through grade 3 are taught in their native language (Cebuano), grades 4 through 6 in Tagalog, and grades 7 through 12 in English.
Children seem to be confused when the language used in class changes from grade to grade. Governor Garcia says that using English in the classroom will not only eliminate these problems, but will also help improve the skills of public school students.
Governor Garcia's point is valid, as improved English proficiency is advantageous for higher education and employment. On the other hand, it is more important for Filipinos to value their mother tongue. President Marcos' emphasis on the importance of language education is another indication of this. Ideally, Filipinos should be able to use both their mother tongue and English properly, but in reality, the current situation is a mixture of English and Tagalog, known as Taglish.
By the way, another thing that Governor Garcia is asking to be made mandatory is GMRC.
GMRC stands for Good Manners & Right Conduct, which is equivalent to morality in Japan.
GMRC teaches the importance of "good manners and right conduct" in order to live as a good member of society.
The Cebu Provincial Board of Education is concerned that children are learning bad manners through social media, videos, and games for that matter, and they think GMRC is needed in education.
Well, kids don't learn good things very easily, but they do learn bad things and bad words very quickly.
Apparently, Japan has a bullying problem that is not going away, so they offer moral education classes as a special education program.
Many people litter trash and cigarette butts (not only in the Philippines but also in Japan), so GMRC is necessary for adults as well.
