Korean language to be taught in some public schools this semester

Korean language will be taught in some public schools in Metro Manila this semester, Super Radyo dzBB said in a tweet on Thursday.

READ: Korean language, ituturo na sa 700 mga estudyante sa 10 pampublikong paaralan sa Metro Manila ngayong semester, ayon sa @DepEd_PH. | via @JonathanAndal_ pic.twitter.com/t4N6lAzD9U

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) November 14, 2018

Earlier this year, the Department of Education (DepEd) has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Korean Embassy for its Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL).

DepEd chose 10 schools in Metro Manila that will teach 10 public schools the Korean language in Grades 7 to 12.

The schools that will start to teach Korean language this semester are as follows:

• Las Piñas National High School
• Jose Abad Santos High School
• Kalayaan High School
• Pasay City National Science High School
• San Bartolome High School
• North Fairview High School
• Maligaya High School
• Judge Feliciano Belmonte Sr. High School
• Lagro High School
• Marati High School

The DepEd's move came on the heels of a recent Supreme Court decision lifting the temporary restraining order on a Commission on Higher Education memorandum excluding Filipino and Panitikan as core college courses.

The decision drew flak from Filipino language advocates.

According to Patricia Santos, focal person for the SPFL-Korean Language of DepEd ,  eight schools in Region IV-A  would soon offer Korean language courses.

“The Korean Embassy agreed to more schools coming from Region IV-A, so there are eight schools,” Santos told GMA News Online Thursday.

“However, these schools do not implement SPFL-Korean yet, because the teachers are still undergoing training,” she added.

Santos said the DepEd has started to include foreign languages in selected schools in 2009.  Some schools have been offering Spanish, Mandarin, Nihonggo, French and German.

Santos emphasized that the inclusion of the Korean language as course in some public schools has no relation with the recent exclusion of Filipino and Panitikan subjects as core courses in college.

“No relation, definitely…That would be unfair,” she said.

Santos said teaching Korean language to students would equip them with 21st century skills.

“Like any other foreign languages, the program aims  to equip our 21st century learners with 21st century skills, to be multi-lingual, because we all know for a fact that language is a very good tool for a person to be able to sell himself or herself,” Santos told GMA News Online.— MDM, GMA News