Public schools to teach Mandarin

MANILA, Philippines – Speaking and writing the Chinese Mandarin language may soon be taught in public schools with the help of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) and the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China.

The Department of Education (DepEd) said that the FFCCCII and the Chinese Ministry of Education recently made a proposal to offer free Mandarin lessons in public schools.

The Chinese Ministry of Education will send language instructors from its Volunteer Program for International Chinese Teachers every year to the Philippines.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the DepEd is very much interested in the proposal.

“We may offer it (language class) as an elective in high performing schools,” Lapus said. “This will help broaden our children’s understanding of China and its culture.”

DepEd said that the language instruction in Mandarin, said to be one of the most widely spoken languages in the world especially in business, could be implemented in certain public schools as early as the school opening this June.

Other foreign languages taught in schools today are Spanish and French, but mostly as an elective course in higher education.

The FFCCCII is a strong supporter of DepEd in improving the quality of education in the public school system. To date, FFCCCII has constructed 2,503 classrooms nationwide through DepEd’s Adopt-a-School Program.