Is Filipino Being Kicked Out Of College?

[Americano]

In the news on June 17, 2014 was the following video and article.

 

https://anc.yahoo.com/news/is-the-filipino-language-being-kicked-out-of-college-103034066.html

 

I have been telling my wife's brothers and sisters for a few years that they better be trying hard to learn English because some college subjects are taught in English. They just laugh and think its silly because they have gotten by for years without learning much English.

 

On June 9, 2014 one of her brothers began a 4 year college course in Mariner Engineer in Ozamis Mindanao.  To his surprise all 6 subjects are taught in English and the students are only allowed to speak English in the classrooms. My wife speaks to him most nights on her phone. I guess he finally realized that a foreigner can know something that he doesn't. Its too early to know if he will have passing grades but if he doesn't pass the first semester then we will stop supporting him. He had many years to learn English but thought it wasn't necessary. Now he's going to learn the hard way.

 

The last two months 4 of my wife's relatives who are all students visited us for 56 days. Near the end of their long visit I said, for the next 15 minutes everyone only speak English. The room went from everyone jabbering to total silence. After only 2 minutes her sister who should graduate from high school next year couldn't control herself and blurted out something that wasn't in English. My wife and I were the only ones who spoke any English. How can someone study a language in a classroom for several years but can't understand or speak it?  Last night my wife was speaking to her sister on the phone when I asked her sister very slowly, "what are you doing? She couldn't figure out what I said so there was no reply from her.

 

If you have children attending school in the Philippines and you plan to send them to college then its important to be sure they learn to read, write, understand and speak English.  You may need to teach them English yourself since the schools seem to be doing such a poor job.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Americano

[Medic Mike]

In the news on June 17, 2014 was the following video and article.

 

https://anc.yahoo.com/news/is-the-filipino-language-being-kicked-out-of-college-103034066.html

 

I have been telling my wife's brothers and sisters for a few years that they better be trying hard to learn English because some college subjects are taught in English. They just laugh and think its silly because they have gotten by for years without learning much English.

 

On June 9, 2014 one of her brothers began a 4 year college course in Mariner Engineer in Ozamis Mindanao.  To his surprise all 6 subjects are taught in English and the students are only allowed to speak English in the classrooms. My wife speaks to him most nights on her phone. I guess he finally realized that a foreigner can know something that he doesn't. Its too early to know if he will have passing grades but if he doesn't pass the first semester then we will stop supporting him. He had many years to learn English but thought it wasn't necessary. Now he's going to learn the hard way.

 

The last two months 4 of my wife's relatives who are all students visited us for 56 days. Near the end of their long visit I said, for the next 15 minutes everyone only speak English. The room went from everyone jabbering to total silence. After only 2 minutes her sister who should graduate from high school next year couldn't control herself and blurted out something that wasn't in English. My wife and I were the only ones who spoke any English. How can someone study a language in a classroom for several year but can't understand or speak it?  Last night my wife was speaking to her sister on the phone when I asked her sister very slowly, "what are you doing? She couldn't figure out what I said so there was no reply from her.

 

If you have children attending school in the Philippines and you plan to send them to college then its important to be sure they learn to read, write, understand and speak English.  You may need to teach them English yourself since the schools seem to be doing such a poor job.

Very good advice.

[JJReyes]

Most of the manning crews are either from Philippines, India or Pakistan. The reason is their ability to speak English.

 

It's okay not to learn English if your plans are to remain in the Philippines your entire life.

[Thomas]

Last night my wife was speaking to her sister on the phone when I asked her sister very slowly, "what are you doing? She couldn't figure out what I said so there was no reply from her.

But I suppouse you talked American-English accent, not Pinoy-English...   :)

 

Once I tried to understand what a Filipina from Leyte said. It took me some minutes, before I even heared she spoke English  :lol:  and several repeetings after that, before I understood what she said. 

I guess it's even harder for an American/Englishman/Australian to understand Pinoy-English accent, because Filipino and Swedish have much more similar sounding LETTERS than English have, which give me biger chance to "decode" their much different pronounsiation  (=It sounded similar to how it would sound if a SWEDE, who has NEVER studied English, would READ English words as they would have been pronounced i they had been Swedish words.)

If you have children attending school in the Philippines and you plan to send them to college then its important to be sure they learn to read, write, understand and speak English. You may need to teach them English yourself

That's why I have agreed with my gf - if we will get kids together   :)   - she will speak Cebuano with them, and I will speak English with them direct from birth   (except a few words as e g we will call relatives the same e g "lolo".)

[robert k]

Then there is the difference between a diploma and an education. I have met many people who had one without the other.

[Thomas]

Then there is the difference between a diploma and an education. I have met many people who had one without the other.

And then there is the difference between an education and knowledge. Or perhaps they have ONE knowledge, when they are suppoused to have ten... :lol:

(E g having a high BUSINESS exam, but have problem counting percent!!!)

[JJReyes]

That's why I have agreed with my gf - if we will get kids together      - she will speak Cebuano with them, and I will speak English with them direct from birth   (except a few words as e g we will call relatives the same e g "lolo".)

 

Interesting that the research originated from Sweden. In multilingual societies, small children learn by language association with a particular person. Father may talk to the child in English, Mother in French, Grandfather in German and Grandmother in Swedish. Because it is done at a very early age, the child has less difficulties learning the same languages later.

[brock]

Its ok to be able to speak English, But much better to understand what you are talking about when you do speak English

[Americano]

 

Last night my wife was speaking to her sister on the phone when I asked her sister very slowly, "what are you doing? She couldn't figure out what I said so there was no reply from her.

But I suppouse you talked American-English accent, not Pinoy-English...   :)

 

Once I tried to understand what a Filipina from Leyte said. It took me some minutes, before I even heared she spoke English  :lol:  and several repeetings after that, before I understood what she said. 

I guess it's even harder for an American/Englishman/Australian to understand Pinoy-English accent, because Filipino and Swedish have much more similar sounding LETTERS than English have, which give me biger chance to "decode" their much different pronounsiation  (=It sounded similar to how it would sound if a SWEDE, who has NEVER studied English, would READ English words as they would have been pronounced i they had been Swedish words.)

 

 

If you have children attending school in the Philippines and you plan to send them to college then its important to be sure they learn to read, write, understand and speak English. You may need to teach them English yourself

That's why I have agreed with my gf - if we will get kids together   :)   - she will speak Cebuano with them, and I will speak English with them direct from birth   (except a few words as e g we will call relatives the same e g "lolo".)

 

 

"I suppouse you talked American-English accent, not Pinoy-English..."  You are correct about that but she had just completed living with me for 56 days hearing me speak English every day and night so she should have been getting use to my accent,  And, after I said "What are you doing?" 3 times then my wife said it 2 times and she still didn't understand her either.  Accent is their usual excuse for not understanding so they don't have to admit that they haven't been trying to learn English for several years.  She will probably be very disappointed next year when she fails out of college because she can't understand what the teachers are saying but it will be her own fault for not trying to learn.

[Gerald Glatt]

Its ok to be able to speak English, But much better to understand what you are talking about when you do speak English

​I only wish I could understand, in English, Cebuano, Italian, Spanish or Pig Latin.