MERGED: Modern Education, Literacy and English Proficiency

[annais]

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i must agree with you, Pedrocar41.

[vern]

lol @ the "English advantage".

[monochrome_delirious]

i think it's really important to get exposed to the English language if you wanna be proficient in it. So I'd say we need to read more English magazines/books, watch more English movies/stuff on TV, and speak English more often.

[bengerboy]

we really need to learn english.....for us to communicate other. i mean from other country or dli ta maingonnga igno...

[kid gaerlan]

1) Maintain English as the medium of instruction in schools but..."por dios por santo"...schools should hire only those who are qualified to teach English.

2) Encourage young people to read - schools should have a program for this to start the students young; also, I think we should start giving more books as presents to our children, nieces and nephews, younger siblings, godchildren, grandchildren, etc...

3) Maybe parents ought to talk to their kids in English once in a while (if they don't at all) when they're still young. Education starts in the home anyway.

[maling]

...dont promote tagalog dubbed shows.

like for my generation, we grew up with voltes v or transformers or story book...all english shows. and we tried to emulate them...mimic them.... but now we are bombarded with tagalog shows...(which have crappy storylines) the kids dont get a chance to hear them from a medium of their liking. they will tend to hate english because they get it from schools and disgruntled fat assed teachers.

[crinkle]

at the supermarket...

~ they should get someone with perfect grammar and diction to talk over the paging system. not just some bimbo who sounds like a mice.

in the streets...

~ the government should ban all signboards with erroneous grammar and spelling.

[zer0_cooL]

OT: hehehe.. btaw crinx sah.. hehehehe

[n`gel]

Language is easily acquired? I think let's should qualify this. Language proficiency is a skill that demands training and some level education to master.

Language can be easily acquired, Technical Skills on the other hand are not.

BeoR didn't say language proficiency, he only said "language". Proficiency however, you're right, that it's a skill that could require training or some level of education. "Proficiency" is a fairly easy word to define... "skilled" or "expert". Lest let us be reminded that we're referring to the Philippines, not China, nor India, but the Philippines where teachers use english to teach, where we hear english on tv's and radios, we read english billboards and signs, english is everywhere... that's why IT IS EASY to acquire... that's why there's really no need to stress more emphasis on mastering it.

My husband employs a few mexican workers for his construction company, they can only learn a little english, enough to understand what they're supposed to do and not to do, but it didn't stop them from getting hired because they're good at what they do. There may be other fields of work that requires you to speak good english, but I say there's really no need to give more emphasis on it anymore coz almost all Filipinos speak good english. We just have to learn to become adept to it, once you're on actual work in a foreign country, it will be easy. So there's really no need to become so obsessed with what is foreign okay?

That's why we need emphasis on other skills (like BeoR's point... which I think is the most sensible post throughout this thread)... we need to produce more skilled workers rather than just talkers. What's to take pride in call centers? How many workers went to school especially for that? You can probably count with your fingers. But how many are computer graduates? business graduates? accounting graduates? "call centers" is just a consolation for the rather large unemployment rate our country is facing, just a consolation. These graduates are learning to become expert talkers rather than learning to become experts in their field of study. That's the irony of it all. But we don't really need to put so much emphasis on mastering the english language, all we need is to become more adept to it, practice it more, if there is a need for it.

Yes we're globally competitive in some sorts because we're an english speaking country. We can work in Canada, US or Australia, but what kind of jobs? Mao sakto si BeoR. Pipila raman kabuok skilled workers nato globally intawn uy. India is as far climbing towards that what you call competing globally, pero super maayo ba sila mag inenglish? Nope, naa pay accents nila ay. "Can you sound bombay?" Hehehe.

Do you guys really think that Americans, Canadians, or english speaking employers appreciate you too much because you can speak english too well? It's only a PLUS. But the core need is the skills you possess, if you can do the job well. So.. becoming proficient in any foreign language only comes second from being an expert in your field of work to become globally competitive.

[cyclops]

Working in Call Centre is a short term goal. Anyone who works there knows that they are not skilled workers but data processors/action centers.

People under-estimate India. India was under British Empire for hundreds of year. People there speak good english. Indians are inteligent people too.. with the population of 1 billion... imagine braindrain in effect.. Only the smartest person, they will hire in call centres. Unlike in the philippines. They will hire you even you are drop-outs. India is number one in call center in the world. Philippines is only the second.