Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTBMLE) and Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA).

1. Albay, Kylyn Joy B. | II-22 BITEd | © 2015 | God Bless! 
Outputs of Philippine Education
Topics Include:
 Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA)
 Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTBMLE)

2. Objectives
At the end of this report, the student must be able to:
 Break down the importance of BESRA as a reform effort of DepEd
 Estimate the costs and benefits of Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTBMLE)
Outputs of Philippine Education
The topics include here is mainly discus about the two different reform made by Department of
Education (DepEd) in Philippine Education. Here we will find out the costs and benefits of this two reform.
The Department of Education (DepED) is currently implementing the Schools First Initiative, an effort
to improve basic education outcomes through a broadly participated, popular movement featuring a wide
variety of initiatives undertaken by individual schools and communities as well as networks of schools at
localities involving school districts and divisions, local governments, civil society organizations and other
stakeholder groups and associations.
Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA)
What is BESRA?
 BESRA stands for Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda for 2006 to 2010 is a program of the
Department Education (DepEd). It aims to attain and sustain better performance in basic education
of public schools.
What are the objectives of BESRA?
The main objective of BESRA is to help attain the following Education for All objectives:
 Universal Coverage of Out-of-School Youths and Adults in the Provision of Basic Learning Needs
 Universal School Participation and Elimination of Dropouts and Repetition in First Three Grades
 Universal Completion of the Full Cycle of Basic Education Schooling with Satisfactory Achievement
Levels by All at Every Grade or Year
 Total Community Commitment to Attainment of Basic Education Competencies for All

3. How to achieve the BESRRA objectives?
In order to achieve our EFA goals the DepEd is currently pursuing BESRA. It can be achieved through the
five Key Reform Thrust (KRT).
KRT # 1: Get all schools to continuously improve.
Main Policy Actions:
Ensure a head for every school
Ensure a school / community process of continuous school
improvement
Enable every school and its community to establish and maintain
functional and empowered School Governing Councils
Enable every school to develop, implement and evaluate its School
Improvement Plans
 A school-based resource management framework
 A schools-driven DepEd representation in Local School Boards of
Local government units
Progress in this key reform thrust will be indicated By:
 Increased percentages of all public schools that have current school improvement plans (SIP)
prepared, implemented and monitored through a participatory process led by school heads
working with organized school governing councils (SGC).
 Increased percentages of public schools with SIP's prepared, implemented and monitored thru
a participatory process that meet specific quality dimensions included in an SIP assessment
instrument. (These quality dimensions include: linkage of SIP activities with improved learning
outcomes; depth or level of community participation; priority given to meeting teachers’ needs
for better teaching practice; support given to classroom improvement; and consistency with
school’s long-term development plans).
 Increased levels of resources managed and controlled at the school level.
 Improved levels of school-wide
KRT # 2: Enable teachers to further enhance their
contribution to learning outcomes.
Main Policy Actions:
 Adopt the National Competency-based Teachers
Standards (NCBTS) as basis for teacher hiring and
deployment, assessing teachers’ performance and training
/ professional development needs
 Maintain a rolling 5-year projection of new teacher hires
 Progressive upgrades in division-level teacher hiring
practices
 Adopt the division hiring practices for all other sources of
teacher hires (ex. Local government units)
 Improve deployment of teachers / distribution of class sizes
 Teacher education and development
 Pre-service teacher education and licensing to support future higher hiring standards
 Improve teacher (and non-teaching staff) compensation, benefits, and employment conditions
Why is it important?
The best people to improve the
quality of schools are the people
most directly affected by the
school’s operations—the school
heads, the teachers, the parents,
and other stakeholders in the
community.
Supports decentralization of
education governance.
Why is it important?
 Improving school performance,
involves improving teacher
performance.
 Recognizes the important role of
teachers as driving force in the
improvement of education
service delivery and student
learning outcomes.

4. Progress in this key reform thrust will be indicated by:
 Increased percentages of all DepED divisions using competency-based standards for assessing
teacher performance, determining teacher development needs and priorities, selecting new
teachers for hiring and promoting teachers.
 Increased percentages of all new teachers (national and local payrolls) deployed in schools at each
DepED division that were selected and hired based on teacher competency standards of the
division.
 Frequency distributions of class sizes (schools, divisions, regions and national) clustered more
closely around the average.
 Increased percentages of all classes requiring assignment of specially trained teachers served by
teachers with correct preparation and qualifications (e.g., high school science classes handled by
teachers with correct science majors, multigrade classes handled by teachers with multigrade
training, and alternative learning programs handled by mobile teachers with required training).
KRT # 3: Increase social support to attainment of desired
learning outcomes.
Main Policy Actions:
 Develop strategies to support learning in English, Filipino,
Mathematics and Science
 Develop a national quality assurance framework for basic
education schooling
 Institutionalize a national forum for multi-sectoral
coordination in support of basic education outcomes
 Establish a training and development institution for higher-
level education managers
Progress in this key reform thrust will be indicated by:
 Increases in the levels of educators’ satisfaction with the
quality of instruction that schools deliver.
 Increases in the levels of parents’ and children’s satisfaction with the quality of education they
obtain.
 Increases in the levels of communities’ satisfaction with the performance of schools serving them.
 Improvements in national indicators of learning outcomes such as participation and completion
rates, achievement rates and national sample scores in internationally comparable tests
KRT # 4: Improve impact on outcomes from Complementary
Early Childhood Education, Alternative Learning Systems, and
Private Sector Participation.
Main Policy Actions:
 Develop or improve local delivery models for cost-effective
early childhood education
 Enhance Alternative Learning Systems
 Engage the private sector in improving basic education
Progress in this key reform thrust will be indicated by:
 Increased percentages of all Grade 1 entrants who meet
the standards for school readiness
 Increased percentages of ALS clients completing
courses in basic and functional literacy
Why is it important?
Recognizes the limitations of the
DepEd and focuses on ensuring
wide social support for learning
in schools.
Seeks to develop minimum
learning standards and quality
indicators that all sectors of
society will agree to and hold
schools accountable for.
Why is it important?
 Recognizes the diversity of
delivery modes for basic
education
 Seeks to strengthen the
different learning experiences
to help students attain the
highest levels of learning

5.  Increased percentages of takers of accreditation and equivalency tests in elementary and
secondary levels pass
 Percentage of total school enrollment served by private schools reach the target set by
national policy
KRT # 5: Change institutional culture of the DepEd to better
support all KRTs
Main Policy Actions
 Develop a strategy for institutional culture change and
integrate this into organizational modernization plans for
central, regional, and divisional offices
 Develop a new national budget framework for basic
education
 Increase level and effectiveness of LGUs spending for basic
education at school and locality levels through direct
mandates and cost sharing schemes
 Integrate all other international and local project initiatives
in basic education within the overall basic education reform
and operations framework
 Develop and adopt a strategy for cost-effective use of ICT in
basic education (for classroom instruction and teachers’ training in schools, as well as for use by DepED
offices)
Progress in this key reform thrust will be indicated by:
 High levels of deep understanding among incumbent DepED managers at central, regional and
divisional offices of DepED’s strategy for culture change and its integration into the
modernization plans of DepED offices.
 A new national budget framework established featuring multi-year, goal-based funding levels
with equitable allocations to localities linked to LGU contributions and allocations to schools
specified according to a transparent formula.
 Increased levels of favorable public perceptions of honesty, integrity and professional excellence
of DepED offices
 ICT strategy adopted and implemented according to targets
Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)
Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTBMLE) is education, formal or non - formal, in which
the learner’s mother tongue and additional languages are used in the classroom. Learners begin their education
in the language they understand best - their mother tongue - and develop a strong foundation in their mother
language before adding additional languages. Research stresses the fact that children with a solid foundation in
their mother tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language. Their knowledge and skills
transfer across languages. This bridge enables the learners to use both or all their languages for success in school
and for lifelong learning. In terms of cognitive development, the school activities will engage learners to move
well beyond the basic wh-questions to cover all higher order thinking skills in L1 which they can transfer to the
other languages once enough Filipino or English has been acquired to use these skills in thinking and
articulating thoughts
With the goal of making Filipino children lifelong learners in their Li (MT), L2 (Filipino, the national
language), and L3 (English, the global language) the learners are more than prepared to develop the
Why is it important?
Recognizes that in order for
meaningful reforms to take
place, the DepEd needs to
change its centralized and
traditional approaches to
improving basic education
BESRA is not just another DepEd
project; BESRA reforms are
being mainstreamed in the
DepEd’s regular systems and
processes

6. competencies in the different learning areas. This will serve as their passport to enter and achieve well in the
mainstream educational system and in the end, contribute productively to their community and to the larger
society as well as Multilingual, Multiliterate, and Multi-Cultural Citizens of the country.
For the effective implementation of the MTB-MLE, it is suggested that the two-track method be used,
that is the primer track to focus on accuracy and the story track to focus on meaning. Learning via the two-track
method to gain proficiency in leteracy as well as comprehend academic content and gain curriculum mastery,
creative and critical thinking skills for decisive decision-making.
MTBMLE provides:
 Literacy. We only learn to read once. Learning to read in the L1 develops skills that transfer to reading any
other languages. Comprehension in reading other languages only occurs after oral proficiency has developed
such that vocabulary of the written L2 text is already part of the learners’ spoken vocabulary.
 Prior knowledge. Engaging learners in a discussion of what is already familiar to them using the home
language and culture enables better learning of the curriculum through integration and application of that
knowledge into current knowledge schemes.
 Cognitive development and higher order thinking skills (HOTS). Using the learners’ mother tongue
provides a strong foundation by developing cognitive skills and comprehension of the academic content
from day one. The knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values gained through the mother tongue better support
learning of other languages and learning through other languages later.
o As learners articulate their thoughts and expand ideas, both language and critical thinking are
strengthened. MTBMLE cultivates critical thinking through talking about ideas in the familiar language.
When teaching only in the L2, critical thinking is postponed until L2 is sufficiently developed to support
such analysis.
 Strong Bridge. MTBMLE provides a good bridge to listening, speaking, reading, and writing the L2s (L2,
L3) of the classroom using sound educational principles for building fluency and confidence in using the
other languages for lifelong learning. Reading in the L2 is only introduced after basic L1 reading fluency and
L2 oral proficiency are developed. Comprehension in reading the L2 occurs after the development of that
spoken L2. Once sufficient oral and written proficiency in the L2 are developed, a gradual transition to using
the L2 as medium of instruction can progress without the L1 support.
 Scaffolding. In L2 teaching, the L1 is used to support learning when the L2 is not sufficiently developed to
be used alone. The L1 is used for expression and the teacher facilitates the development of the L2 to enable
learners to adequately express ideas in the L2. In this way, the L1 strengthens the learning of the L2 by
supporting the L2 development for communication.
 Teaching for meaning and accuracy. Decoding text requires accuracy, while comprehending texts
requires decoding skills within a meaningful context. Both meaning and accuracy are important, but in
classrooms that teach only L2 , there is often primary focus on accuracy until the L2 is sufficiently learned.
This delays actual meaningful learning until the L2 can support that learning.
 Confidence building and proficiency development for two or more languages along the following
macro-skills ( listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing ) for both meaning and accuracy
Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) policy in The Philippines involves
implementation of local mother tongues as the language of instruction in Kindergarten to year three (K -3), with
the official languages (Filipino and English) being introduced as the language of instruction after grade three.
Previously, the early years of schooling used Filipino and English as the language of instruction, with local
languages being used to assist teachers and students in the classroom. MTB-MLE is being implemented across
the country from the 2012-2013 school year. While a very small number of schools previously implemented MTB-
MLE, many schools and teachers are now learning how to use a local mother tongue as the language of
instruction, and in the coming years this will be taken up by more schools, teaching a wider variety of languages.

7. The Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program introduced the use of MTBMLE specifically in Kindergarten,
Grades 1,2, and 3. Currently, there are twelve major languages to be used as language of instruction. These are:
 Tagalog
 Kapampangan
 Pangasinense
 Iloko
 Bikol
 Cebuano
 Hiligaynon
 Waray
 Tausug
 Maguindanaoan
 Maranao
 Chabacano
The benefits of MTBMLE include:
 Reduced drop-out
 Reduced repetition
 More attendance
 More learning
 More involvement and participation from parents and the community
 More cost-effective in the implementation
Filipino Sign Language as Mother Tongue
Filipino Sign Language (FSL) refers to the sign language used by the Deaf community in the
Philippines. It is distinct from spoken Filipino. Sign languages, such as FSL, are visual-spatial while spoken
languages, such as spoken Filipino, are auditory-vocal languages. In sign language, information is conveyed
through the shape, placement, movement and orientation of the hands as well as movement of the face
and the body. Linguistic information is received through the eyes.
FSL is rule-governed, having its own linguistic structure -- phonology, morphology, syntax, and
discourse. It belongs to the branch of visual languages with influence from American Sign Language (ASL).
The structure of FSL has significantly changed over the years and is considered a language distinct from
ASL.
FSL, as with all other sign languages in the world, does not have a written form. Deaf people do not
read and write in sign language, rather they become literate in a second language. Using Filipino Sign
Language as the mother language, Deaf children will learn to read and write in other languages such as
Filipino and English. It is expected that Filipino deaf children will develop metalinguistic awareness and
transfer knowledge, concepts and thinking skills about language from FSL to written Filipino or written
English.
The K-3 Mother Tongue Curriculum Guide specifies content and performance standards and
learning competencies for all Filipino children – deaf and hearing alike. Since the focus of the curriculum
is language and literacy development, the learning outcomes apply to sign language users as well. In this
guide, listening and speaking will be operationalized as viewing (visually attending) and signing; spoken
language as sign language and so on. Teachers are enjoined to follow the curriculum as closely as possible,
cognizant of learning and communication differences among deaf and hearing children.

8. PAGE 1
Grade Level Standards
Conclusion:
There are many factors that affect the learning process and outcome of the student that’s
why there are things that government create on how to deal with it and give the best quality of
education they can give, Reforms are made. Change are in need in Philippine Educational
System. Education should not be compromise as long as learning and knowledge takes place.
We should consider every possible detail and every aspect before implementing it. After all, we
all want to gain knowledge and settle for the best. It’s all about being a skilled human in the 21st
Century. As long as we contribute in the history of humanity which we gain success and
achievement. As US President, Barack Obama said, “Change will not come, if you do not accept
it.”
References/URL Resources:
o K to 12 Curriculum Guide MOTHER TONGUE (Grade 1 to Grade 10 (www.deped.gov.ph)
o Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education. Retrieved from http://en.wikipilipinas.org/
index.php/ Mother _TongueBased_ Multilingual_Education
o DepEd Order No. 16 s 2012. Retrieved from http://www.deped.gov.ph/orders/do-16-s-2012
o On Philippine Education: The Basic Education School Reform Agenda (BESRA). Retrieved
from http://ourhappyschool.com/education/ philippine- education-basic-education-
school-reform-agenda-besra
o Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (2006-2010).pdf