My story and illustration finally published by the Save the Children thru the efforts of Ms. Bonna Duron for the bilingual education for children-T'boli
The story was presented in a workshop for storytelling for teachers of day care centers in the locality of Lake Sebu
the story's premise was inspired from a narrative given by one of the participants prior to the workshop that were recorded
the vista of Lake Sebu minus the fish cages
This kind of project is long overdue for bilingual style of teaching is now adapted by many NGO's who are into child learning that by teaching and educating children, the main subjects are given and presented thru the use of the local vernacular, and with an extensive use of visuals as aides for teaching. The argument is very simple. To be able to understand and know better the subject matter, subjects should be taught first in their vernacular then translated to the mainstream language. The child's understanding is better equipped when knowledge is presented that is easily understood-the mother tongue. Thru Ms Bonna Duron, this project is already in its second phase with the cooperation and implementation of the DepED where the main goal is to educate children in far flung cultural communities. That these children will not only understand the mainstream education ,but also a step towards protecting and preserving their local culture and vernacular.
We in the cities believe that education must be complicated and complex arther than easy and simple. So one must be able to acquire ideas-knowledge thru the use of a foreign language, as such adopting and adapting new and foreign culture that most of the time go against the local traditions and cultural perspective. We were taught this way that by learning the foreign tongue or a national language means intelligence and more opportunities. Our qualification is solely based on this criteria. Thus, our understanding of science, physics and even math seem to be compromised because we lack the ability to grasp the complications and subtleties of these technical subjects. It is also the proper time that our government and the educational institutions to allow other languages or dialects to flourish and to be promoted.
As an artist, this is my little way of helping this kind of a project that I believe and advocate. The discrimination of the majority against the minority is mirrored in this kind of endeavor, where those who belong to the cultural communities or far flung tribes or even with in the Moro communities are prejudiced as too 'bulok' or dumb or even stupid. A friend once quoted that 'if will see a Moro, it is either he is too extremely bright or extremely and mostly 'bobo'...but when I ask him if he understands 'jawi' script or read arabic, he was bit shocked because in no way he knows. So I told him, that I find you soooo stupid or dumb if given he is leveled in our standard of knowledge or kind of cultural education. He left without a word.
Knowledge is not only for the few privilege class or education for only the majority. I t should be for 'all' and we must find ways that we can be able to teach and educate that would be more acceptable and understandable than apply our perceived high standards. When a group of badjao boys stopped going to school, the teacher rather than find time to inquire the causes, she retorted that her badjao students do not want to learn in school for what they only want is to eat. A social worker intervened, and she found out that the boys felt the school was too far from their place and they often encounter ridicule from people on the streets. Moreover, their stomachs were empty when going to school because they are too poor to eat breakfast. The social worker resolve these problems by bringing the school to the badjao community; translated the subjects into their own local vernacular; and she let the children have a simple porridge of egg and noodles. By 2008, these children had mostly graduated from elementary and now they are already in high school with the resolve of finishing the level until college.
We in the cities believe that education must be complicated and complex arther than easy and simple. So one must be able to acquire ideas-knowledge thru the use of a foreign language, as such adopting and adapting new and foreign culture that most of the time go against the local traditions and cultural perspective. We were taught this way that by learning the foreign tongue or a national language means intelligence and more opportunities. Our qualification is solely based on this criteria. Thus, our understanding of science, physics and even math seem to be compromised because we lack the ability to grasp the complications and subtleties of these technical subjects. It is also the proper time that our government and the educational institutions to allow other languages or dialects to flourish and to be promoted.
As an artist, this is my little way of helping this kind of a project that I believe and advocate. The discrimination of the majority against the minority is mirrored in this kind of endeavor, where those who belong to the cultural communities or far flung tribes or even with in the Moro communities are prejudiced as too 'bulok' or dumb or even stupid. A friend once quoted that 'if will see a Moro, it is either he is too extremely bright or extremely and mostly 'bobo'...but when I ask him if he understands 'jawi' script or read arabic, he was bit shocked because in no way he knows. So I told him, that I find you soooo stupid or dumb if given he is leveled in our standard of knowledge or kind of cultural education. He left without a word.
Knowledge is not only for the few privilege class or education for only the majority. I t should be for 'all' and we must find ways that we can be able to teach and educate that would be more acceptable and understandable than apply our perceived high standards. When a group of badjao boys stopped going to school, the teacher rather than find time to inquire the causes, she retorted that her badjao students do not want to learn in school for what they only want is to eat. A social worker intervened, and she found out that the boys felt the school was too far from their place and they often encounter ridicule from people on the streets. Moreover, their stomachs were empty when going to school because they are too poor to eat breakfast. The social worker resolve these problems by bringing the school to the badjao community; translated the subjects into their own local vernacular; and she let the children have a simple porridge of egg and noodles. By 2008, these children had mostly graduated from elementary and now they are already in high school with the resolve of finishing the level until college.
