Dora goes to public high school

A news story over at Sun Star Cebu today says that public high school students are to receive Spanish classes under the education department's special program in Foreign Language.

The program is aimed to "develop in the students skills in listening, reading, writing, speaking and viewing—qualities that are important for the development and acquisition of communication skills through a second foreign language.

However, only students who fare well in English and Filipino can take the elective course and only "public high schools with the highest mean percentage score in English would be selected for the program."

The basis of why Spanish was chosen among all other foreign languages to be taught to the students was never mentioned. But the education secretary believes it will develop understanding and appreciation of other people's culture.

I never thought Marimar's influence would go as far as penetrating the inside confines of the education department. As an afterthought, maybe Dora and Diego are just too irresistible.

Now I have nothing against Español. I had a friend who even ordered a baby einstein in Spanish all the way from Hola España when his first niece was born. He told me babies’ en habla Español are "so cute."

But cuteness should not prevail against the global dictates on the need for superb English communication skills.

In one forum I covered, players in the business process outsourcing industry "demanded" the need for schools to offer competitive English courses since this is where our students lag behind.

One Australian, whose company offers IELTS courses, said even if Pinoys are the most hardworking people on Earth, but they can't speak the business language-that is "conversational" English-he said he'll pass.

Why didn’t the education department come up with a program that alleviates today's standard in teaching English? Maybe they saw no need for it.

They did not even saw the need to improve the country's educational system yet they saw the need to add one more year to some college courses and they promised it will not entail added costs.

I'm totally perplexed. The last time I checked, students still ride the jeepney to school and most get hungry while trying to solve algebra.

If they only saw that there is a big need to improve the country's standards in teaching written and spoken English, then the education department should have spread out a program for all schools because not just students from those with the "highest mean percentage" for whatever deserves the best free education there is.