City of San Fernando, Pampanga—Mother Tongue–Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) using Kapampangan may now seem easier and more enjoying for public school teachers teaching Kindergarten up to Grade 3 students after the Department of Education Regional Office III and the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) conducted an orientation on the New Kapampangan Orthography on November 8-11.

The workshop, held in coordination with Dr. Lucena Samson, Komisyuner ning Kapampangan of the KWF, aims to equip the participants with the necessary understanding on the new Kapampangan Orthography, enhance their teaching skills and methodologies in the teaching of the Mother Tongue in Kinder to Grade 3, guide them in crafting their daily lessons in MTB aligned to the new orthography, and design an action plan for the District School Learning Action Cell (DSLAC) to discuss the Kapampangan Orthography for all the K to Grade 3 Teachers.

“Aminin po natin na hindi matatas sa paggamit ng wikang Kapampangan ang ating mga guro, kaya ito’y isang magandang pagkakataon upang maibahagi ang bagong ortograpiyang Kapampangan nang sa gayo’y lalo pang mapalaganap ang ating Amanung Siswan at hindi ito mamatay nang tuluyan,” Samson explained.

Dr. Samson discussed the New Kapampangan Orthography which included topics on Kapampangan words, Grafema, Ing Kulitan Kapampangan, Pamaglliletrang Pasalita, Pamagliletrang Pasulat, and How to Use the New Kapampangan Orhography for the MTB-MLE.

Participants in this orientation are the 4 MTB-MLE Division coordinators, 100 Kindergarten teachers, 100 Grade 1 teachers, 100 Grade 2 teachers and 100 Grade 3 teachers of the Schools Division of Pampanga, Angeles City, Mabalacat City and City of San Femando.

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.•