DepEd to focus on English profiency of students

Improving the English proficiency of Filipino students will be the flagship program of the Department of Education in 2008, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said Monday. "Despite the improving National Achievement Test (NAT) results in English among our students, we believe that we have to push even further to sustain their improving performance," Lapus said in a press statement. Lapus said his department will focus on schools with low mastery level based on the result of the 2007 NAT or those which obtained a mean percentage score of 34 and below. NAT measures what the students understand and can do. It covers Mathematics, English, Science, Filipino and Hekasi. Lapus said English proficiency is critical in learning as other key subjects such as Science and Mathematics use English in textbooks and other reference materials. He said this is in compliance with the directive issued by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for a 30 percent improvement in the baseline data in English, Science and Mathematics by 2010. He said Mrs Arroyo has earmarked P500 million for teacher training after she noticed that schools are not producing enough people competent in using the English language. He said the student intervention packages being implemented by the department include 1:1 new textbook-pupil ratio in English, Beginning Reading, Remedial Reading, Whole School Approach to Reading and Writing. He said the feasibility of setting up speech laboratories is being planned for 2008 implementation. He said DepEd continues implementing Every Child a Reader Program (ECARP) to enable children from Grade 1 to 6 to read as expected of their level. He said the department will assess 13, 286 elementary and 1,320 secondary teachers in priority schools to determine their English proficiency level and keep track on the school progress in reading. Part of DepEd’s initiative to improve English instruction is to ink partnership with local and international stakeholders. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV