Students urged: Shun 'jejemon'

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) has urged students to shun the “jejemon” phenomenon which is being blamed for the prevalence of spelling errors.

Education Secretary Mona Valisno yesterday said she has not issued any order against “jejemon,” or the use of alternate spellings of common words, but she appealed to parents and teachers to discourage students from adopting this pop culture phenomenon.

According to the Urban Dictionary, “jejemons” are a new breed of hipsters who have developed their own language and written text and who have managed to subvert the English language to the point of incomprehensibility. The phenomenon is most evident in text messaging and social networking sites.

“I’m not issuing any order but I’m appealing to all the teachers and parents to discourage this shortcutting in texting and language. We should be consistent because this is part of the training to read, write and speak properly,” Valisno told The STAR.

Valisno said shortcutting words will eventually make students forget correct spelling.

Valisno emphasized that teachers and parents can teach students the proper composition of text messages by using the correct spelling of words.

“I think if it’s (shortcutting of messages) at the expense of written essays, it’s not fun. That will deteriorate the quality. We should help curb this,” she said.

Valisno said “jejemon” is also a reflection of one’s gestures, politeness, attitude and behavior.

In a related development, the DepEd is set to introduce a media literacy education curriculum that seeks to protect children from the negative effects of all forms of media.

“We believe that our young learners need to be protected from adverse media which they encounter every day in the process of acquiring information and entertainment,” Valisno said.

The DepEd has created the Media Literacy Task Force which was given the green light to develop a National Media Literacy Education Curriculum that would help children understand and handle media.

“Our children need help in developing their skill to distinguish good news from bad news and good programs from bad ones,” she said.

Valisno cited recent research by the Cartoon Network New Generations Philippines (2009), the 2008 AC Nielsen kids study and the 2002 PCTVF Media violence Study which showed the prevalence of TV viewing among children and youth.

The National Media Literacy Education program is set to be integrated into the Basic Education Curriculum under Social Studies for the elementary level and under English/Communication Arts/Values for the high school level.

Teachers and school administrators will soon undergo training in preparation for the integration.