The need for contextualized materials for education

The contextualization of education was first introduced during the short-lived revolutionary government (1898-1900). National Scientist and historian Encarnacion Alzona wrote that our leaders chose a curriculum used in elite schools, removed religion as a subject, and prescribed the teaching of history using texts written by a Filipino author (they knew the impact of reading history from the perspective of colonizers). I wish such a critical view of curriculum (and learning materials) would be felt today.

The Malolos Constitution of the revolutionary government stated that the Spanish language is used only “temporarily,” suggesting that local languages would someday be “intellectualized.” I wonder, what if we remained independent and continued to control our education system? It is outrageous that after overthrowing our previous colonizer and establishing our revolutionary government, we were made to believe that we were like toddlers who needed to be tutored with governance before receiving the gift of independence.

As we face another cycle of basic education reform (the Department of Education is set to announce its Basic Education Report on Jan. 30), I wish we can assert what is the best way to educate our young. Foreign languages like English (supposedly being taught as a second language) should not dominate our system and be treated as the only medium to learn valuable knowledge (like science and math). If they are really valuable, why not teach them in the most familiar language?

Our education system must be continually contextualized to our own knowledge system and languages. If we do not have enough materials now, then let’s plan to produce everything our children need, slowly and surely. If we need to plan long-term, beyond our lifetime, so let us do it. Let us not allow the lazy excuse that, since we do not have enough contextualized materials now, we keep the current practice.

Maria Mercedes “Ched” E. Arzadon, LPT, PhD, associate professor, UP Diliman College of Education; vice president, Society for Strategic Education Studies; cochair, Indigenous Knowledge and the Academy Special Interest Group, Comparative and International Education Society