Spanish reintegrated in high school curriculum
By Charmiane Marie Nuqui
The new K to 12 program of the Department of Education has seen the reintegration of the Spanish language in the high school curriculum, with the formal instruction expected to be taught in 2016.
“The inclusion of Spanish will be added in Grades 11 and 12 because these years start the student’s career path,” Linor Marcel Tongson, Education Program Specialist II of Bureau of Secondary Education said.
The new curriculum was made possible through the cooperation and ties with the Spanish government which started in 2009, spearheaded by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Former Education Secretary Jesli Lapus and Professor Virgilio Zapatero Gomez of University of Alcala in Spain also signed an agreement for the training of 15 public school teachers in the country also in 2009.
Not mandatory
The language course, which will remain as an elective to grades 11 and 12, will not be mandatory to students.
“There is no provision stating that the learning of Spanish is mandatory…but it would be better if it will be incorporated as a regular subject because Spanish is nearer to our culture and it is a widely-used language,” Joderick Menorca, a University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Instituto Cervantes professor said.
A total of four hours every week will be allotted to the subject.
Funded by the Spanish government
Instituto Cervantes, the Department of Education’s training arm in the Spanish language, provides training for public school teachers every summer.
“The Instituto Cervantes chooses the best teachers from all over the Philippines for the scholarship program provided by Spain…and they are given the Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE) to certify that they acquired the training,” Menorca added.
The Spanish government provides the teachers’ tuition and their lodging expenses while the Department of Education pays their transportation fare.
“The Department was already able to sent 10 teachers from 2009 to 2010 to Spain for the scholarship,” Tongson said.
Besides the Spanish language, Korean, Japanese, German, French and Mandarin Chinese languages are being taught in selected public schools as part of the Department of Education’s Special Program in Foreign Language.
This year, 65 schools are already teaching Spanish while 30 schools teach Chinese language followed by 19 schools teaching French.
The Department of Education is drafting an exchange program with Chile to fill the lack of Spanish-trained teachers though the date and numbers of teachers are yet to be confirmed.
The new K to 12 program of the Department of Education has seen the reintegration of the Spanish language in the high school curriculum, with the formal instruction expected to be taught in 2016.
“The inclusion of Spanish will be added in Grades 11 and 12 because these years start the student’s career path,” Linor Marcel Tongson, Education Program Specialist II of Bureau of Secondary Education said.
The new curriculum was made possible through the cooperation and ties with the Spanish government which started in 2009, spearheaded by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Former Education Secretary Jesli Lapus and Professor Virgilio Zapatero Gomez of University of Alcala in Spain also signed an agreement for the training of 15 public school teachers in the country also in 2009.
Not mandatory
The language course, which will remain as an elective to grades 11 and 12, will not be mandatory to students.
“There is no provision stating that the learning of Spanish is mandatory…but it would be better if it will be incorporated as a regular subject because Spanish is nearer to our culture and it is a widely-used language,” Joderick Menorca, a University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Instituto Cervantes professor said.
A total of four hours every week will be allotted to the subject.
Funded by the Spanish government
Instituto Cervantes, the Department of Education’s training arm in the Spanish language, provides training for public school teachers every summer.
“The Instituto Cervantes chooses the best teachers from all over the Philippines for the scholarship program provided by Spain…and they are given the Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (DELE) to certify that they acquired the training,” Menorca added.
The Spanish government provides the teachers’ tuition and their lodging expenses while the Department of Education pays their transportation fare.
“The Department was already able to sent 10 teachers from 2009 to 2010 to Spain for the scholarship,” Tongson said.
Besides the Spanish language, Korean, Japanese, German, French and Mandarin Chinese languages are being taught in selected public schools as part of the Department of Education’s Special Program in Foreign Language.
This year, 65 schools are already teaching Spanish while 30 schools teach Chinese language followed by 19 schools teaching French.
The Department of Education is drafting an exchange program with Chile to fill the lack of Spanish-trained teachers though the date and numbers of teachers are yet to be confirmed.