No, Korean language electives won’t replace Filipino classes

YouTuber Emman Nimedez in one of his viral Korean drama parodies. (Photo: 
EmmanNimedezTV YouTube channel)
YouTuber Emman Nimedez in one of his viral Korean drama parodies. (Photo: EmmanNimedezTV YouTube channel)

We can’t believe this even needs a clarification but you know how people tend to overreact on the internet.

The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) clarified in a statement yesterday that the Korean language classes recently launched in select public schools will not be replacing Filipino classes.

In the statement, the DepEd said that the Korean language classes are meant to be electives for students in Grades 7 – 10. This is part of the department’s Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL) initiative.

“[Filipino] remains to be among the core subjects in basic education while the teaching of Panitikan (Literature) in the Filipino subject serves as a springboard for discussion of grammar lessons and a way of strengthening the Filipino identity and culture,” the statement reads, as quoted by Rappler.

The Korean language program was launched in 10 public high schools last week. Although this is clearly an initiative by the DepEd — which is only in charge institutions of basic education — netizens slammed the program as it started the same week the Supreme Court decided that Filipino should not be a required subject in college.

Many smart alecks on Twitter criticized the government for allegedly prioritizing a foreign language over the country’s native tongue.

Like Twitter user @cldeeee who said learning a different language was “useless.”

Or @Carloossim who shared a meme insinuating that national hero Jose Rizal wouldn’t be pleased about the Korean language program.

He probably does not know that Rizal himself was a polyglot.

https://twitter.com/Carloossim/status/1062696688391864320

@remediosmio asked the DepEd “[W]hat the f*ck are y’all smoking” while quoting a sarcastic tweet about the department’s Korean language classes.

https://twitter.com/remediosmio/status/1061788422811996160

The Filipino language does need to be given more importance but they completely misunderstood the situation.

Making Filipino subjects an elective for college students was a decision by the Commission on Higher Education and not the DepEd.

The DepEd has also said that only students who have mastered English and Filipino can join foreign language classes offered in their school.

And despite what critical netizens have said, learning a different language is never really “useless.”

Knowing multiple languages has proven to be beneficial for brain function and can lessen chances of developing dementia later in life.

Learning a different language can also make a person more tolerant, according to the University of South Florida Associate Professor Amy Thompson. In a piece she wrote for The Conversation, she said:

“[I]t opens people’s eyes to a way of doing things in a way that’s different from their own, which is called ‘cultural competence.’ The second is related to the comfort level of a person when dealing with unfamiliar situations, or ‘tolerance of ambiguity.'”

Apart from these, learning a new language also has practical benefits for Filipinos, especially those who plan to work abroad.

Apart from Korean, the DepEd’s SPFL also offers classes in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Japanese.



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