Advocates need Filipino community’s support
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This article was published 08/07/2019 (2295 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A group of people wants Seven Oaks School Division parents to be aware of a significant program that has helped Filipino kids connect to their roots.
During the 2018-2019 school year, SOSD held a Filipino bilingual program at Arthur E. Wright Community School, but program advocates are finding it challenging to help others understand the importance of this educational experience.
Ivy Lopez Sarmiento is one of the parents who have been fighting for the implementation of the Filipino bilingual program. She told The Times that she was thrilled her two daughters had the opportunity to connect with their heritage through language.
The Filipino bilingual program is not an after-school activity. Just like the Ojibwa and Ukrainian bilingual programs offered at SOSD, students learn 50 per cent of the Manitoba education curriculum in the Filipino language. It is used for the instruction of social studies, health, Filipino literacy, and daily routines. English is used in science, music, physical education, math, and English language arts. The program is open to all students, whether or not they speak Filipino.
But even though the program has shown many benefits, its future seems unsure since the division has already announced its cancellation and are no longer advertising it on their website.
“Trustees and the Seven Oaks School Division were in full support of the Filipino Bilingual Program,” Derek Dabee, SOSD trustee, said. “However, the initial registration for the program was less than expected and it did not grow. There were no registrations for Kindergarten next year. The program simply isn’t viable.”
The division will work with parents to provide rich heritage language programming to support Filipino language and culture, he added.
Lopez Sarmiento said she thinks one of the main reasons why more people didn’t know about the program was lack of marketing. She also felt like they were left out from certain
activities that would help with putting the word out, such as open houses.
“That’s the optimum time to register your children for the following year, and she (teacher Porfiria Pedrina) wasn’t invited to do a presentation or even an announcement on the Filipino bilingual program and also she was discouraged from handing out the registrations,” she continued. “It was because they didn’t know if the program was going to move forward for the next year, but the issue here is that we’re not going to know if we don’t get the numbers. So there’s a catch 22. We need the numbers to move forward.”
“We need the community to show support for the Filipino bilingual program to continue. We need the Filipino community to really advocate for the program. The division, I feel, is supportive of the program, but we need the Filipino community to also show their support,” Pedrina added.
The Filipino bilingual program held in the 2018-2019 school year had 22 children registered, and although the number was enough to get it started, they need more students to ensure it will continue.
Lopez Sarmiento added the program is highly beneficial to the students. Aside from a new language, students are also in a multi-age setting and learning at higher levels. Another Filipino parent, Mylyn Trapago, whose child is in the Filipino bilingual program said that “as new immigrants, the program has benefitted my child as it is really easy to lose one’s own heritage language when there’s lack of opportunity to practice it or have formal education outside of home.”
Although rumors are that the division is not accepting registrations for the Filipino bilingual program, they are, Lopez Sarmiento affirmed.
Parents can email Cory Juan, one of the advocates, for more information and registration forms at coryjuan@gmail.com