SPEAKING ENGLISH

In a latest study by a world renowned international group, it says that Filipinos’ English proficiency is going down.  The study was made on 2017 and what makes it even alarming is that the study shows the average score of our graduating students’ English proficiency is equivalent to the target passing score for Thailand and Vietnam's high school graduate.  Maybe some of us will disagree while still believing in our good old days in speaking English and in denial to accept the fast-learning neighboring countries that once were way behind us.  But this is the reality bite that we must accept and make self-assessment to determine our weak points and improve them.  The Philippines once dominated and enjoyed the respect as a non-English country with a very good knowledge in English.  During the early decades of the 20th century, young students in elementary schools are capable in expressing themselves in English.  It became a common saying during the 1970s to 1980s that the boomers and the generation-x children can be defeated by their even 2nd grade finisher grannies when it comes to speaking English.  When these children get married, then the generation-z or the millennial were born whose English proficiency is now going down according to the latest study.  Speaking English has become difficult.  The parents have already insufficient knowledge, how much more their children, that is why our knowledge in English is nosediving.  It is sad to realize our collage students and those young graduates of today are having difficulty in English grammar, struggling to have a complete thought or cannot totally express themselves at all in English.

Our quality of education particularly in English subject is going down.  We have the overflowing college graduates but they cannot construct the right statement when it comes to expressing their thoughts.  While the top universities and colleges in the country are producing excellent or above average English proficient graduates, the rest and the majority of educational institutions are contributing the grammar, spelling and comprehension English language murderer.   The downfall of English proficiency is due to schools, teachers and student but it all boils down to one common reason: poverty.  Education is expensive.  For an average family, sending back their children to repeat the failed school year is pain.  For family-oriented teacher, giving the students a passing grade is more humane than to repeat the whole year again.  For academe, to compensate the teachers' noble job and institution's needs out of student's pay is depending on economy.  Yes, education system, educators and students have shares in this failure, but the main culprits in this failure are the students.  What went wrong?  We have come to a certain point that the young Filipino students are not paying attention to the importance of English language.  The problem with us is our bad attitude towards studying.  Times after times, we became too complacent with our English literacy where we were known by other countries and we have taken it for granted assuming it will eventually run in our blood.  When it started to slowly glide our English literacy, we excused ourselves with this principle that English is not our native language to excel in.  That what matters most is we can understand English and we can convey our message regardless if grammatically wrong or not.  We justified “English-carabao” as long as we understand the message and we settled for this.  The local English news stories were removed from prime-time slots where majority Filipinos are watching.  We watched tagalog television soap operas and even demanded popular foreign soap to dub in tagalog.  You will see young people today spending too much time in social medial engaging in criticizing, bullying and boasting while the importance, ethics and art of writing composition do not matter anymore as long a the happiness, honesty and freedom of expression are fully served as what they have said/  Rather than wasting much time in bashing viral, they should spend more times to visit educational, helpful and valuable sites where their both strength and weakness will be enhanced.  Because of these, children get difficulties in English as medium of instruction in Philippines education.  We have lost the challenge to analyze because of our great fondness in Tagalog entertainment forms.  Surely there is nothing wrong to love our language in fact it is nationalistic but whether we like it or not, we must admit that English is the universal language that everyone must learn.  And it is not really betrayal to prefer it over our native dialect because patriotism is not about language alone.

We are in this cruel world where the knowledge in speaking English is the measure of intelligence, status, success and personality.  If you do not want to be left behind, dance to the tune of music.  I had interest in English language when I was in 4^th grader.  I wanted to get along with children who know lots of English words and able to speak long sentences.  I am actually slow learner.  Years of learning and yet cannot perfect it.  Up to now at my age, I am not excuse to grammar syntax error.  Looking back at my old writings, I still see corrections that make me feel bad but I have to continue learning.  I have to realize my weaknesses and improve them.  If I who studied in the old modules of educational system but had able to discover English, how much more the young students today who are under the modern and advance education system. Students today are more fortunate to have lots of sources for their needs to self improvements and they are always available in just a click.  It is so backward to set aside English.  Do not settle for less, learn Tagalog but master the English grammar too.  After all, our world today is interdependent.  We and we will directly or indirectly interact with other nations through one universal word and that is English language.