Manila steps up English proficiency drive

With still three months before the start of the 2005-2006 school year, Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza yesterday ordered city-run schools to start the preparation for better English Proficiency Programs (EPPs) to give their students a competitive edge after graduation.

Since the current trend in employment remains to be working overseas, he said it was only necessary to protect the advantage of Filipino workers over those from other countries.

Apart from the skills and productivity, Filipinos are hired by foreign employers because of their good command of the English language.

"This is why we want the graduates of our city-run schools like Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), City College of Manila (CCM) and the Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) to get the jobs they want as a result of our English Proficiency Programs," the mayor said.

After almost one year of implementing the EPP, Atienza expressed satisfaction with the results as seen in the reports submitted by school presidents.

This program is now being adopted throughout the country.

"I do not see any reason why we cannot do more since they just copied from us," the mayor said.

In the case of the PLM, it has already completed the training of the first batch of faculty, and staff members. They now serve as facilitators in the English as a Second Language Center (ESL).

The school also conducted for this year’s graduating students image-enhancement training covering job interviews, resume writing, and test-taking linked to the school’s annual job fairs. At least 1,342 graduating students have benefited from the program.

For this summer Ma. Luisa Quinones, city schools superintendent, said there would be massive school-based English proficiency training for all Manila public schools for all subjects. So far, 416 elementary and high school teachers have completed the course.

The training aims to expose both the teachers and students in the practical use of spoken English in everyday interactions and conversational situations; refresh teachers’ knowledge of the nuances and intricacies of English as a medium of instruction; restore English as a prime service tool for subject comprehension across the curriculum; facilitate language acquisition through formal and functional use; address the need for an English-friendly, English-speaking clientele; and reinforce the global demands of English. – Evelyn Macairan