essay about mother tongue based multilingual education

Why mother language-based education is essential

Every year on 21 February, the world celebrates International Mother Language Day , which was established at the initiative of Bangladesh by UNESCO’s General Conference in 1999. The Day is an essential platform to promote the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity, and multilingualism for peaceful and sustainable societies.

UNESCO has been leading the way and advocating for multilingual education based on the mother tongue from the earliest years of schooling. Research shows that education in the mother tongue is a key factor for inclusion and quality learning, and it also improves learning outcomes and academic performance. This is crucial, especially in primary school to avoid knowledge gaps and increase the speed of learning and comprehension. And most importantly, multilingual education based on the mother tongue empowers all learners to fully take part in society. It fosters mutual understanding and respect for one another and helps preserve the wealth of cultural and traditional heritage that is embedded in every language around the world. 

However, there is still a long way to go before guaranteeing all learners their right to education in their mother language. In most countries, the majority of students are taught in a language other than their mother tongue, which compromises their ability to learn effectively. It is estimated that 40 % of the world’s population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. There are about 7,000 languages spoken around the world today. But linguistic diversity is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear at an alarming rate. And when a language disappears, it takes with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.

Globally, progress is being made in multilingual education based on mother tongue with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life.

Through its normative frameworks for language policy and education, UNESCO shares good practices in bilingual and multilingual education and mother tongue instruction. It works with Member States to integrate multilingual education into curriculums and education systems. Recent successful initiatives to promote mother language-based education have taken place in Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti and Kenya.

The findings from UNESCO’s new report From rights to country level action shows national efforts made by different countries to foster cultural and linguistic diversity.

In addition, UNESCO recently unveiled the World Atlas of Languages , an unprecedented initiative to preserve, revitalize and promote global linguistic diversity and multilingualism.

Impact of COVID-19 on mother language education

School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and deepened pre-existing education inequalities around the world. The closures ranged from a global average of 20 weeks to above 70 in some cases, more than a full school year. As always, it has impacted vulnerable and marginalized learners the hardest, which includes indigenous and speakers of languages from minority groups. According to UN estimates, nearly 500 million students from pre-primary to upper-secondary school were unable to access any remote learning opportunities during the lockdowns.

In many countries, distance teaching and learning tools, programmes and content were not always able to reflect linguistic diversity: They were largely provided in dominant national or international languages. When remote learning content is not available in students’ mother tongue, it increases the risk of learning loss, dropouts and exclusion. Many learners lacked the necessary equipment, internet access, accessible materials, content relevant to contexts and needs, and human support that would have allowed them to follow distance learning. Many teachers also didn’t have the skills and readiness for using distance teaching. They also struggled with digital tools in languages that they didn’t always master.

The massive digital divide shows how connectivity has become a key factor to guarantee the right to education. The lack of access to digital learning content is deepening inequalities, marginalization and exclusion. Another element that exacerbates the digital divide is the fact that many languages are not present on the Internet: There is a major linguistic divide in cyberspace today. The inclusion of languages in the digital world and the creation of inclusive learning content is vital. Remote learning based on the mother tongue should be incorporated into education systems in order for all learners, especially those from linguistic minorities, to access education during school closures and beyond.

This year’s International Mother Language Day theme, “ Using technology for multilingual learning ,” is an opportunity to take stock of the experience of the past two years, to move forward differently and better.

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Multilingual Education: A Key to Quality and Inclusive Learning

About the author, stefania giannini.

Stefania Giannini is Assistant Director-General for Education, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

20 February 2024

I n today’s world, multilingual contexts are the norm rather than the exception.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Atlas of Languages reveals that there are around 7,000 spoken or signed languages in use around the world. It’s estimated that at least half of the global population is bilingual, navigating daily life in two or more languages or dialects.

Language is more than a tool for communication; it’s a very specific human cognitive faculty and the foundation of our shared humanity. It enables the transmission of experiences, traditions, knowledge and identities across generations.

Languages play a crucial role in promoting peace, fostering intercultural dialogue and driving sustainable development. They permeate every facet of our lives—from family and work to education, politics, media, justice, research and technology. Our values, beliefs, knowledge, identities and worldviews are intricately shaped by language, reflecting the richness of the human experience.

Languages are at risk and must be championed

But languages are under significant threat. UNESCO data indicates that around 600 languages have disappeared in the last century. If current trends continue, up to 90 per cent of the world’s languages may become extinct by the end of this century.

International Mother Language Day, observed annually on 21 February, underscores the urgent need to champion linguistic diversity and multilingual education rooted in mother tongues.

For more than seven decades, UNESCO has promoted mother language-based and multilingual education as fundamental to achieving quality, inclusive learning.

Why multilingual education matters

Enhanced learning.  First, and most obviously, students learn best in a language they understand. Yet UNESCO data shows that 40 per cent of the world’s population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Our research documents the benefits of being taught in learners’ native languages: in upper-middle- and high-income countries, children who speak the language they are taught in are 14 per cent more likely to read with understanding at the end of primary, compared to those who do not.

In France, children who speak French at home are 28 per cent more likely to be able to read with understanding at the end of primary than children who do not. This share rises to over 60 per cent more likely in countries such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, Slovakia, South Africa and Türkiye.

At the end of lower secondary, adolescents speaking the language of instruction are over 40 per cent more likely to be able to read with understanding compared to those who did not. This ranges from a 4 per cent gap in Canada to around 40 per cent in Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and over 60 per cent in Thailand.

Improved access and inclusivity through mother tongue education. Adopting a mother language-based, multilingual education improves access to and inclusion in education, particularly for population groups that speak non-dominant, minority and indigenous languages. Studies have shown that such approaches can boost classroom participation, improve retention rates and encourage family and community involvement in education. They also play a vital role in mitigating the challenges faced by migrant and refugee learners, promoting a sense of safety and resilience. Yet—at a time of record displacement—over 31 million young people who have fled war or crisis situations are learning in a language that differs from the official language of their country of origin.

Contributing to peace and sustainable development. The achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is intricately linked to linguistic diversity and multilingualism. The Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) , spearheaded by UNESCO, underscores the importance of language choice for human dignity, peaceful coexistence and sustainable development. Commitment to these ideals drives UNESCO support for building inclusive and equitable, quality education opportunities in indigenous languages in both formal, non-formal and informal educational settings.

Helping mother language education thrive

The potential of multilingual education is enormous, but realizing its full benefits requires a commitment to lifelong learning and a deeper appreciation of the value of linguistic diversity.

To foster thriving multilingual education, we need robust policy support, advocacy and innovation. This includes adopting policies that promote mother language education from early childhood, as seen in diverse countries such as Ghana, Peru, Singapore and South Africa. It also involves recruiting and training teachers and community members competent in learners’ mother tongues, as well as exploring innovative solutions, such as partnerships with digital platforms, to meet diverse language needs.

Partnerships and cooperation at all levels, including across universities, academic centres and institutions that support language development, can also enhance capacity, and expand access to teaching and learning materials in local languages in both print and digital forms. This must be accompanied by formative and summative assessments that are appropriately designed to monitor the learning outcomes of multilingual learners.

Mother language-based, multilingual education must be part of our efforts to address the learning crisis and learning poverty facing many countries around the world.

In an increasingly globalized world, UNESCO remains committed to promoting multilingual education and cultural and linguistic diversity as cornerstones for the sustainability of our societies.

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Mother tongue is home: Reflections on MTB-MLE

• Post author By Marypaul Jostol , Ana Mapa , Lance Spencer Yu
• Post date December 25, 2020
• No Comments on Mother tongue is home: Reflections on MTB-MLE

The Philippines has a language problem. Among its more than 7,000 islands, nearly 200 languages have sprung up—each with speakers numbering from a few hundred to millions across the world. With so many disparate languages, which one ought to serve as the common denominator? Spanish, English, and Filipino have each been proposed as solutions, but questions of inclusivity, representation, and effectiveness have hounded their statuses as official national languages.

This gap is what mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) intends to address. Signed into law as part of Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, MTB-MLE is implemented as part of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) K-12 Basic Education Program. DepEd describes it as early education in which lessons are taught in the learner’s mother tongue or first language. The program currently translates material and lesson plans into eight languages for different regions in the country.

Less than a decade after MTB-MLE’s inception, educators continue to anticipate its results, weighing in on its educational benefits, costs, and inclusivity issues.

Education made familiar

Advocates for MTB-MLE believe that learning foundational lessons in a first language encourages more classroom engagement and develops stronger literacy abilities. Genevieve Asenjo, Chair of De La Salle University’s Department of Literature, believes mother tongue-based learning can make education more accessible, especially for those in the margins of society.

She notes that some students may find it difficult to engage in the classroom, especially with an unfamiliar medium of instruction, like English or Filipino. “ Hindi sila nagre -recite. Hindi dahil bobo sila, kundi, dahil wala silang capacity, for instance, sa language,” Asenjo says.

(They don’t recite. It’s not because they’re stupid but because they don’t have a capacity, for instance, for language.)

Asenjo explains that using the mother tongue works because it makes learning familiar. With domestic images and metaphors, children learn concepts by referring to things in their surroundings. She illustrates the power of domestic intimacy with an example: “Can you imagine ‘yung mga bata sa mga bundok na hindi naman nakakakita ng apple? Pwede ‘yung A is for ‘atis’ .”

(Can you imagine children in the mountains that haven’t even seen an apple? For them, A can stand for ‘atis’.)

Aside from familiarity, first languages also carry a different emotional and intuitive feeling for students. Writing in the mother tongue allows for them to express greater emotional depth. Asenjo shares her own experience writing poetry and fiction in Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a, saying, “I still write, I still think, I still pray in my mother tongue. ‘Yung mga emotions na parang feeling mo napaka- intimate, I still have that in Kinaray-a.”

(Those emotions that one feels are very intimate, I still have those in Kinaray-a.)

Unity in diversity

MTB-MLE’s implementation has also been seen as a way to promote inclusivity in the education system. To understand this, one can view MTB-MLE as part of what Asenjo calls an “indigenization and decolonization project”. By bringing attention to the variety of languages in the Philippines, MTB-MLE challenges the idea that English and Filipino are the country’s most important languages. Kervin Calabias, a Kankana-ey Ilocano scholar whose research publications explore Cordillera indigenous studies, emphasizes this, commenting, “That’s a basic decolonial lens to looking at the world, that English is not the center of everything…All languages are equal.”

In line with promoting inclusivity, MTB-MLE also imparts a sense of pride in the cultural identity of these native speakers. Asenjo shares, “With mother tongue, na- realize na , of course, when we speak language, language is power. And kapag hindi tinuturo ‘yung mother tongue, mamamatay ‘yung Philippine languages natin .” In this way, MTB-MLE is important because it recognizes the unique worldview of each Philippine language. “Mother tongue is home. Mother tongue is emotional truth. Mother tongue is identity. Mother tongue is culture,” Asenjo emphasizes.

(If we don’t teach the mother tongue, our Philippine languages will die out.)

Root problems

However, for MTB-MLE critics, the program is not as inclusive as it presents itself to be. DepEd’s current implementation of the program only offers eight local lingua franca as learning areas and languages of instruction—brushing aside over a hundred other existing languages in the country. Calabias questions this majority-based approach, as he believes it is counterproductive and exhibits a complete disregard for indigenous peoples that speak more obscure languages. “This is not a numbers game. [We must] widen the representation and think of a strategy to have all languages grow together,” he asserts.

Representation is already lacking with regard to discourses being conducted on MTB-MLE. The nature of the policy is determined by certain people in power, and as a result, others that are expected to partake in the conversation are overlooked. Calabias proposes that government institutions reach out to communities and update their linguistic profiles as such insights from the natives themselves may help determine what mother tongue language to implement in a given area. 

However, he is quick to point out the said solution’s flaw, one that still favors the majority. “You’ll encounter a second problem there because you have to at least decide what mother tongue to use. For example in Baguio, the mother tongue there right now would be Ilocano. So how about the Iboloi speakers?” he posits.

Another hindrance to MTB-MLE is the infrastructure needed to execute the program. While communities are more than ready to adapt to it, widespread implementation is hampered by the lack of manpower. There are not enough people to build schools, teach students or translate educational materials into several mother tongue languages. For Calabias, the program is more likely to succeed if the infrastructure is present, especially among public schools. “ Mas marami pa ring estudyante kaysa eskuwelahan , at mas marami pa rin ang hindi kaya mag- private school. Ang kaya lang nilang type of education is public schooling.” 

(There are still more students than schools, and there are more that cannot afford to go to private schools. The only type of education that is accessible to them is public schooling.)

According to a report by the Global Campaign for Education, during the program’s test run, the lack of educational materials was compensated by the teachers themselves, who took matters into their own hands by writing stories of their own. While this resulted in noticeable academic improvement among students, Calabias criticizes its anti-labor implications. “It came to the ingenuity of the educators and teachers to come up with materials. Teacher ka na nga na ang hirap-hirap magturo ng ganitong subject, and you’re also forced to make the materials because wala ka ngang material.”

(As a teacher, you are already having a hard time teaching such a subject in a mother tongue language, and they still force you to make the materials because there are no materials.)

Hope on the horizon

Due to the lack of attention toward developing mother tongue languages, lesson plans, modules, and other materials cannot be translated directly, let alone critically. Mother tongue languages, according to Calabias, “must be elevated to an academic register,” where concepts can be thoroughly discussed without English being involved. As to how this can be addressed, much reevaluation should be made with regard to what encompasses the Philippine identity, and this starts by paying attention to the indigenous peoples who have been denied in the development of the nation. Recognizing the value and importance of the many mother-tongue languages will come easier that way. 

In MTB-MLE lies an opportunity for several Filipino cultures to thrive, but given its many shortcomings, it is too early to pinpoint when it will reach its full potential. In the meantime, Calabias encourages other educators to foster appreciation for mother tongues among the youth. His way of doing so is to introduce different kinds of national literature texts that try to discern what it is to be Filipino. “The Filipino identity is not a monolithic identity, it’s not a mononational identity. It’s a pastiche of all identities here.”

With appreciation comes the dissemination and public support of indigenous literature and other art forms, and, Asenjo hopes, the effective implementation of a program that celebrates the Philippines’ cultural and linguistic diversity.

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Oral traditions: An aid to implementation of mother tongue-based multilingual education in the Philippines’ basic education programme

• Original Paper
• Published: 15 September 2018
• Volume 64 , pages 759–777, ( 2018 )

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• Genevieve Jorolan-Quintero 1  

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English and Filipino (Tagalog) are the official languages of the Philippines. English is taught in schools and used as a medium of instruction as early as kindergarten. Because it was originally imposed by Western colonialism, its use in academia has been criticised as discriminatory to regional and indigenous languages other than Tagalog, which are not generally used in higher education and have therefore not been allowed to develop as academic languages. In 2012, the Filipino Department of Education issued Order No. 16, series of 2012, also known as the mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) order. Following its recent adoption in public schools, the MTB-MLE policy has already run into some difficulties that challenge its output. Among these is a lack of instructional materials, as most available textbooks are written in English or Filipino. This article explores the potential of oral traditions as instructional tools in basic education. There have been extensive efforts by folklorists to collect, record and publish folk epics, myths, legends and tales. An essential aspect of this research is the recording and publication of materials in the original versions or languages used by native informants from indigenous communities. For the past ten years, the author has conducted field research with indigenous communities in the southern regions of Mindanao. This has yielded a collection of folk literature recorded in the languages of the indigenous communities studied. This collection has been translated into Bisaya, one of the major regional languages of the Philippines, and into English. These texts have considerable potential as classroom learning materials. The publication of these indigenous literature texts makes knowledge of indigenous language and culture available to basic education learners, as well as to the general public. The publication of mother tongue reading materials will also help promote knowledge of, appreciation for, and proficiency in the use of these languages.

La tradition orale, une aide à l’éducation multilingue fondée sur la langue maternelle dans l’enseignement de base aux Philippines – L’anglais et le filipino (tagalog) sont les langues officielles des Philippines. L’anglais est enseigné dans les écoles et sert de support d’instruction dès le jardin d’enfants. Imposé à l’origine par le colonialisme occidental, son usage dans le milieu universitaire est critiqué pour être discriminatoire envers les langues régionales et autochtones autres que le tagalog, qui ne sont pas couramment utilisées dans l’enseignement supérieur ni donc admises à devenir langues académiques. Le ministère philippin de l’éducation a émis en 2012 l’ordonnance n° 16, appelée également ordonnance sur l’éducation multilingue fondée sur la langue maternelle. Suite à sa récente adoption dans les écoles publiques, la démarche d’application de cette ordonnance rencontre d’ores et déjà plusieurs obstacles qui compromettent sa réussite. Parmi ces derniers figure un manque de matériels didactiques, puisque la majorité des manuels existants sont rédigés en anglais ou en filipino. Cet article explore le potentiel des traditions orales en tant qu’outils pédagogiques dans l’enseignement de base. Les spécialistes de la culture traditionnelle et populaire ont déployé d’importants efforts pour recueillir, documenter et publier les épopées, mythes, légendes et contes populaires. Un élément central de cette étude réside dans l’enregistrement et la publication de matériels conçus dans les versions ou langues d’origine utilisées par les informateurs natifs issus des communautés autochtones. Au cours des dix dernières années, l’auteure a mené une enquête de terrain avec ces communautés implantées au sud de Mindanao. Une collection de littérature populaire a ainsi été enregistrée dans les langues des communautés étudiées. Cette collection a été traduite en bisaya, l’une des principales langues régionales des Philippines, ainsi qu’en anglais. Les textes renferment un immense potentiel en tant que matériels didactiques pour enseignants. La diffusion de cette littérature autochtone met la connaissance des langues et cultures indigènes à la disposition des apprenants de base comme du grand public. La publication de matériels de lecture en langues maternelles contribuera en outre à développer le savoir, le plaisir et la maîtrise dans l’usage de ces langues.

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English Language Education in the Philippines: Policies, Problems, and Prospects

A differentiated approach to Indigenous pedagogies: addressing gaps in teachers’ knowledge

Johanna Funk & Tracy Woodroffe

CLIL: An Overview

In a nutshell, the Philippines were colonised, albeit not extensively settled, by the Spanish in the second half of the 16th century. Thus Spanish was added, as the official language, to the existing multitude of indigenous languages. English was introduced as a second official language during the American occupation of the Philippines (1898–1912). By 1901, English was the designated language of instruction (LOI) in government-run schools, and shared the status of official language with Spanish in the 1935 Constitution (CoP 1935 ). The 1973 Constitution (RoP 1973 ) stipulated Filipino (formerly known as Tagalog or Pilipino) as the second official language alongside English. The current Constitution (RoP 1987 ) states “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. Subject to provisions of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate, the Government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official communication and as language of instruction in the educational system … For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English. The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein. Spanish and Arabic shall be promoted on a voluntary and optional basis” (ibid., sections 6 and 7).

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Jorolan-Quintero, G. Oral traditions: An aid to implementation of mother tongue-based multilingual education in the Philippines’ basic education programme. Int Rev Educ 64 , 759–777 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-018-9743-9

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Issues and Challenges in Teaching Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in Grades II and III: The Philippine Experience

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Mother Tongue based multi lingual Education has become increasingly important educational principle to make the child’s language, culture and context the foundation of learning. While studies continue to show the advantages of educating children in their mother tongue both for their later acquisition and transference of reading skills to other languages, and for their total gain from educational input, the mother tongue as medium of instruction (MOI) still meets with resistance. The title of this study is therefore, Challenges in Use of Mother Tongue Based Education As Medium of Instruction in Primary School for quality enhancement: In case of Wolaita Zone Administration. Simple random sampling technique were employed to select sample public and private school and Purposive sampling to select academic staff and parents, students and teachers while the school principals were sampled using availability sampling method. The tools were used to gather relevant data from the research participants are questionnaire, in-depth semi structured interviews, classroom observation, relevant document analysis and focus group discussion (FGD). The study result revealed the following influences at play on language choice of parents: lack of understanding, overcrowded and unorganized Wolaita medium public schools, reluctance of private schools to provide Wolaita medium instruction, absence of a clear policy that obliged the private sector provide mother tongue education, and the hegemonic position of Amharic/English language. In so doing, they disregard the role of mother tongue education in favor of second language medium. The study recommended that parents should be encouraged to choose their own language for their children and others should also appreciate their choices, teachers and school practitioners should pay attention to students’ attitude and motivation towards medium of instruction, as they are important predictors of academic performance, zone administration and education bureau should prepare and deliver enough textbooks and other educational materials to the student within appropriate time schedule of the academic year. Also highly trained and pedagogically equipped teachers should participate into the teaching learning process in order to correct the misconceptions held towards vernacular language instruction. In addition, encouraging fiction, short story, poetry and other general reading materials writers in order to have ample reading materials would be necessary. Furthermore, preparation of dictionary and developing vocabularies in all subject areas to satisfy the need of the modern science and technology are worth the effort. Keywords: Mother tongue, Medium of instruction, quality education Language policy, Attitude, Ahievement, Motivation

Hanni Compas

The use of mother tongue in teaching in a multilingual setting affects the way pupils learn. A melting pot and the educational center of the North, Baguio City, Philippines demands teaching strategies that not only adapt to the interplay of the different cultures and languages but give importance to them, too. Specifically, this paper analyzed the strategies of teachers in implementing Mother Tongue-Based Instruction in a Multilingual Classroom and identified some problems that teachers encounter in implementing them. The study used qualitative analysis with interview as the main data gathering tool. The respondents were teachers purposively selected from the suggested pilot schools of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in Baguio City. From the phenomenological analysis of the data, the findings showed that the teachers used strategies such as translation of target language to mother tongue, utilization of multilingual teaching, utilization of lingua-franca, improvization of instructional materials written in mother tongue, remediation of instruction, and utilization of literary piece written in mother tongue as motivation. Some problems encountered by the teachers in implementing mother tongue-based instruction include absence of books written in mother tongue, lack of vocabulary, and lack of teacher-training. Nevertheless, the study indicated that major attention and effort are still necessary to be given to the approach.

Moein Zergani

This article wants to show how most of the students around the world because of teaching in a language contrary to their mother tongue in first grades of school have found problems in their character, identity, originality and concepts of some words.

Monica Cruz

The purpose of a multilingual education program is to develop appropriate cognitive and reasoning skills enabling children to operate equally in their community language, the national language and English. Within MTB-MLE these standards should reflect the fact that teachers are prepared to successfully educate students who speak a mother tongue different from the target language of instruction. This requires that teachers understand and can implement strategies for using the mother tongue as the primary road for children to build their initial literacy skills. Utilizing a survey questionnaire as well as documentary analysis, the study looked into the status of the implementation of the mother tongue as a learning subject in public elementary schools in Lingayen II District. Results show that of the 11 schools under the Lingayen II District, none reached the advanced level while five (5) schools' level of performance proved to be proficient (45.45%); six (6) of the schools fared poorly with two (2) schools approaching proficiency (18.18%), three (3) schools' (27.27%) level of performance were found to be developing and one (1) (9.1) was found to be still at the level of beginning. Likewise, of the 7 objectives and competencies the Grade I pupils were expected to master, they had mastered 5 and 2 were not mastered. It is thereby recommended that supplementary instructional materials on MTBMLE be developed so as to address the teachers' problems in as far as the content, suitability and coverage of the MTBMLE instructional materials are concerned.

Mother tongue language as medium of instruction in Primary Schools of B/G/R/S: What are the Challenges and opportunities?

Abdulwakil Hassen

The study attempted to examine challenges and opportunity in using mother tongue language as medium of instruction in primary schools of Benishangul Gumuz Regional state. The target population of the study was mother tongue languages teachers in the three zones of the region. Questionnaires, interview and Focus Group Discussion was employed for data collection. The quantitative data was analyzed using one sample T-test and percentages. Whereas, data obtained through interview and FGD was analyzed qualitatively. The study revealed that teachers were facing different challenges towards teaching mother tongue languages. Lack of trained teachers, shortage of instructional materials (text books, teachers' guide), problems of dialect and other morphological aspect of languages are few to makes mention. Finally, the researcher recommended some actions to be taken such as teachers should be trained and specialized in mother tongue subjects, enough budget should be allocated for publishing textbooks, teachers guide and textbooks should to be revised for teaching.

Ferdinand Cortez

Ilocano, otherwise known as Ilokano and Iloko has been considered to as the third largest language in the Philippines apart from Tagalog and English. Ilocano got its roots being a member of the Malayo- Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family. The widespread use of the Ilocano language continues to emanate as seven million people in the country use it as their primary language. It has been known that the major users of it come from Ilocos, La Union, Cagayan Valley, Northern Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, and Babuyan. Study also shows that a large number of ethnic groups in Northern regions of the country are more proficient in its use rather than Tagalog. Ilocano is also being used in the Northern areas of Luzon as Lingua Franca and in everyday communication. Mother tongue- based instruction deals primarily with the teaching of particular subject matter with the use of the language learners have been using in their day to day interactions. it was an observation that learners, being able to make use of their language perform more actively in schools to that of by use of the English language. In schools, it has been observed that the old curriculum only allows pupils to speak or express themselves using the English or Filipino language making their performance seem to fluctuate. And so, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched last June, 2014 the teaching of Mother Tongue to Grade-I-III pupils. DepEd officials are convinced that with this new policy, learners will find confidence in speaking out what’s on their minds using their first language. Also, according to them, using the mother tongue as medium for instruction will not only facilitate learning but will also aid to the fast acquisition of the second or third language. This is so because children, as young as they are must firstly be exposed to their first language so as for them not to be hard up in learning whatever language it is that they are familiar with after their mother tongue. With this step, children will just be relishing their time in learning their own language because it is the language that they are using in their everyday lives. Most likely, when teaching only limits the children to using the English language, there is a great possibility that they will commit themselves in using this language instead of their native one.

Lucy Ndlovu

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