Opinion

Don'T Cut Language Basics

By CHRISTINE CUNANAN-NOMURA

The advisory council to the education minister recently came up with comprehensive suggestions to stimulate Japan's education system and to make schools a place for students to actively learn instead of merely for teachers to teach.

I found the efforts of this council to promote significant changes quite inspiring — particularly since change does not come easily in Japan. The fact that quite radical reforms were proposed reveals the concern of educators and their desire to ensure a more competitive Japan for the 21st century.

One of the proposals involved reducing the number of required objectives in subjects such as Japanese, mathematics and science, to free students from studying rigors and to allow them to explore and learn more of things that they like.

The details have yet to be fully explained, but I assume that this means lightening the load for the above subjects.

However, I hope that lightening the load in Japanese language courses does not mean allowing students to study less of the basics.

Already, I often hear my Japanese friends lamenting that so many Japanese young people cannot speak proper Japanese anymore. I notice that many young employees at major corporations are not familiar with keigo, which means they end up sounding disrespectful, if not rude, to callers. Under such circumstances, I wonder what will happen if Japanese language courses are cut back further? It seems young people need more language training, not less.

While it is essential for a nation to foster its children's creativity, I wonder whether such efforts should be undertaken at the expense of that nation's language. I believe that a country's language should be studied extensively to ensure the continuity of that nation's heritage. Language is the key to learning and communication and to the development of society.

I speak from my own experience. I grew up speaking English more than my native language, Pilipino, because English was the medium for education, and for newspapers and television. Most important topics of the day, including Philippine history and sociology, and mentally rigorous subjects such as philosophy and ethics were discussed and debated in English.

It was often said then that Filipinos who couldn't speak English well would have a hard time succeeding in their careers because English ability was the mark of a good education and upbringing. Learning English became a necessity rather than a choice.

While English has become a great asset for Filipinos and for the Philippines today, our national language has suffered the consequences. Many people (myself included) can speak English well enough but cannot make a speech satisfactorily in Pilipino without resorting to English words and expressions. I have never even read a whole book in Pilipino, although I devour classics, autobiographies and contemporary fiction in English. This situation has undoubtedly influenced my outlook and given me a more Western perspective on my country and countrymen.

Looking back, I can't help wishing that my classmates and I had had more — not fewer — chances to acquaint ourselves with our country in our own language.

Shukan ST: July 24, 1998

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