Republic of the Philippines

Northwest Samar State University

Rueda St., Calbayog City 6710
Website: http//www.nwssu.edu.ph
Email: main@nwssu.edu.ph
Telefax: (055) 2093657
ISO 9001:2015 Certified

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Name: Cortiz, Leonido Jr.

Course/Program: BSED-ENGLISH
Year: 3
Course Description: Language Education and Policies in Multilingual Societies
Instructor: Mr. Albros Mañanita
Activity No: 6

Directions: Gather research studies on issues and challenges in the MDG

implementation and how language is important in MDG. Then, synthesize these
studies by writing a reflection paper.

Looking at the circumstances of the underprivileged in Mindanao is

essential to comprehending how the MDGs for the Philippines might be
strengthened. Due to their low incomes, many disadvantaged households struggle
every day to make ends meet. Lack of money is not the only aspect of poverty; it
also significantly affects social services, basic infrastructure, and other chances
for employment and education, as well as health care facilities and nutrition
programs. Low human development indicators have been the result, including
high poverty incidence [refer to study 1] and low educational attainment [refer to
study 2]. Communities may find it challenging to escape poverty on their own
without outside assistance if they lack fundamental necessities.

There are numerous study activities to execute the MDG and accomplish
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of decreasing maternal fatalities
and mortality. This raises questions about the significance and function of
language in effective communication (e.g., simple teaching of prenatal care
messages or inter-agency collaboration for routine and emergency obstetric care).
In order to address maternal death and morbidity, its primary function must be
to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and information. Language has
enormous potential for delivering high-quality formal and informal education
via radio, newspapers, flyers, churches, and other mediums. Government
organizations may benefit from using language to promote their family planning,
vaccination, and other health-related initiatives.

Key health and educational results have significantly improved in the

Philippines over the previous ten years. This essay examines how language is
used in the MDGs. It identifies various problems and difficulties in the
Philippines' implementation of the MDGs from research studies, which will aid
teacher-linguists in making judgments by combining these studies into a
reflection paper. The biggest obstacles to achieving the MDG in the Philippines,
according to Alba and Leal (2009), are a lack of funding, a high rate of poverty,
slow economic growth, the rule of law, and bureaucratic red tape. The gross
national product of the Philippines increased at a rate of more than 3.8%
between 1990 and 2003, according to government statistics from that country
(2009). More foreign investors have come in as a result of the economic expansion,
however but meanwhile it did impact negatively on employment in the country.
The benefits for country are rather negated by increase in job displacement
(Velez, 2008).

One of the nations where the Millennium Development Goal (MDG)

would still be viewed as unattainable by 2015 is the Philippines. All 193 members
of the United Nations and at least 23 international organizations have committed
to achieving the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the year 2015.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) establish measurable targets and
indicators for eradicating extreme poverty, hunger, disease, and illiteracy
worldwide. At the UN Summit (Millennium Summit) in 2000, world leaders
adopted these goals. In September 2015, a count was done to determine how close
or far each nation is from achieving these targets. The Philippines has succeeded
in achieving a number of objectives, including a two-thirds decrease in child and
maternal death rates, a 90% rise in primary school enrollment, and a half of the
proportion of the population living below the poverty line. However, there are
still issues that need to be resolved, such as planning for an aging population,
lowering fertility rates, educating people about their rights around sexual and
reproductive health, and providing information on breast cancer screening.
Language is crucial in conveying information and in giving meaning to the
reality that the MDG is attempting to address, particularly when it comes to
likeability.

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals are a set of

time bounded targets with the aim of reducing global poverty, focusing on
education, healthcare and gender equality. The Philippines backs this global
vision to achieve universal primary education by 2015 and to eliminate gender
inequality in primary and secondary education by 2005 (MDG target 3 and 4).
The country with the most potential to catch up with the developed world in
terms of education is India. The primary elements of its economy are services
and manufacturing, but India lacks a substantial amount of human capital
because it has large illiterate and innumerate populations, mostly rural. For this
reason, there is increased emphasis on education as a tool for both economic
integration into global economy. Within two decades India has become the
world's largest producer of professionals of all types. Inexpensive colleges run by
the government and private universities predominate in the education sector and
cater to students seeking professional degrees. Since many high educational
standards are expected from graduates only a few get hired by larger companies
or are able to open their own enterprises or practice a profession independently.
It takes at least 10 years of on-the-job experience for a graduate to achieve
significant economic independence. Some individuals have complained about the
excessive time it takes for an individual to become self-sufficient after obtaining a
professional degree which equates to almost a third of a working life. A typical
job search takes one to two years; therefore this in turn contributes greatly
towards the financial strain faced by higher education institution students who
have been unemployed for long periods thus further contributing towards
another challenge.
The importance of language in Millennium Development Goals of the
Philippines cannot be overemphasized. It is a powerful tool for poverty
alleviation and achieving the MDGs. The gains made may be reversed with
complacency and lack of interest in bringing out the best knowledge
management practices in policy making, advocacy and decision-making
processes at all levels of government. O'Keefe's idea that 'language can serve as
both a cause and a cure for human suffering' is applicable to the task at hand.
Philippine development problems call for actions, not words.
The MDG implementation in the Philippines is considered successful.
Unlike other countries in Asia and Africa, the Philippines has been able to reach
some of its health-related MDGs. For example, it meets to 90 percent target of
reducing under-five mortality with improved access to children health care and
nutrition services. In fact, the government declared fewer child deaths per 1,000
live births from 64 in 2009 to 52 in 2015 (Philippines General Statistics Office).
The Philippines also accomplished its MDG4 goal of improving maternal health
by reducing maternal mortality ratio from 140 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 56
in 2010 (Bureau of Health). Moreover, health care policies were enacted that
address resources for maternal and child health services as well as family
planning initiatives. Implementation deficiencies hamper their achievement. For
example, despite an increase spending for reproductive and child health since
2001 the Philippines struggles to provide doctors who are willing to work at rural
or poor areas (Government of the Philippines). A lack of political will and
accountability may also be blamed (United States Agency for International
Development).

Global poverty has been a longstanding problem for decades. The

world has made huge steps towards eradicating global right off, as seen in the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Reports. However, there are still some
issues and challenges that are being addressed by the Philippine government.
The country is one of the most active supporters of the MDG, with donors and
NGOs contributing 5 billion dollars and $300 million respectively to combat
poverty in 2010. These reports show how important it is to remove all barriers
that inhibit development in the Philippines. The Philippines has had a difficult
journey in its quest for the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by
the UN members. As of 2015, two goals have been accomplished, two are on track
and three are off-track. The two MDGs that have been achieved are to reduce
dramatically the under-five mortality rate and to ensure that all boys and girls
complete a full course of primary schooling. This is an indication that poverty
and high fertility rates, which has been a hindrance to the country's development
efforts, are starting to decrease. The other two on-track goals are reducing
maternal mortality ratios by three quarters, and achieving universal access to
reproductive health services including family planning. The three goals that have
not been met as of 2015 are reducing child mortality rates by two thirds,
combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases as well as reducing the overall
incidence of disease by three quarters.

The essay has discussed how language is important in the

implementation of the MDGs. The finding shows that language plays a critical
role in recognizing and responding to the most serious problems and needs of
your target group. The implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in
the Philippines was able to significantly improve the lives of the Filipino people.
The progress of the country in fulfilling these goals became much evident in a
very short time due to the participation and commitment of different sectors
such as Government, Non-Government Organizations, United Nations Agencies
and Donors. These contributions have resulted to a more healthier and
productive general population reflective on workforce productivity, better health
services and well being of the people. While there is still some way to go, it can be
seen that we can achieve our Millennium Development Goals with strong
determination through complete support and participation by all sectors. We
need to consider the roles of language in sustainable development for two
reasons. First, there are different languages with different sets of values and each
language has its unique features that may not come into other community such
as English. Second, different languages have their own way to express ideas
depending on how speakers perceive: what they feel, what kind of knowledge
they want to convey, and what kind of ideologies they want to add. However, it is
undeniable that language use also has negative impacts on sustainable
development.

Generally, based on my research there is a plethora of issues and

challenges in the MDG implementation in the Philippines among which the three
most notable are income inequality, culture and education. These social factors
are main determinants of a child's health and happiness. To improve the quality
of education and learning in the Philippines, UNESCO has been trying to make
school-related materials accessible at a much lower cost than before. It also
encourages other countries to bandwagon with them through sharing their
knowledge and experiences in order to build a collective body of ideas that can
help improve the quality of schooling around the world. Lack of basic education
remains among the important social determinants that affect human
development. It has been said that eradicating illiteracy is the most powerful
agent of progress. Indeed, the proliferation of developmental programs centered
on providing preschool, elementary, secondary and tertiary levels of
technical-vocational education must be sustained and supported in every country
because it is pivotal to raising quality of life and productivity of a nation.

Maternal mortality is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live

births. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world,
a fact attributed to poor educational and economic development, lack of
information and communication systems, insufficient human resources across
sectors and territories, and discrimination against women. Feeding the world is
not an easy task. There are so much challenges to go through: hunger, poverty,
malnutrition, infant mortality rate and Urban Hunger to name a few. While
there are solutions that solves one problem, it creates another. The MDGs seem
to have its main focus rather on the economic and education development. In the
Philippines, the issue of basic health services are less addressed by the
government which stems from the problems in its economic policy. This has been
worsened by prolonged crisis in its economy over the past twenty years. The
results of this gross neglect is arguably more serious than these in other MDG
countries.

The Philippines has come a long way from being one of the most
underdeveloped economies before the last decade. Low national income and high
poverty incidence were two economic characteristics that inhibited the
economy's growth. In order for Filipinos to be able to partake in development,
the government launched programs aimed towards having citizens gain skills
and knowledge to participate effectively in development. One such program is
the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The first issue and challenge is the
insufficient number of language laboratory teachers. In DepEd schools, 11%
only of the total teachers are trained to be language laboratory instructors. From
this number hinders extensive use of technology in learning a second language.
In Elementary and at present on high school is impossible to have a simultaneous
interpretation system due to lack of LTI's. Which make impossible to give a
simultaneous interpretation system when foreign language teachers teach their
lessons. In order not to have this problem in every level of education, providing
more teacher training programs for both poor and rich countries should be done
in order to solve the problem by improving education quality.
Economic growth is vital in any developing country to secure the lives of its
citizens. Surprisingly, many of the Asian states were hit by economic crisis that
they are still struggling to recover from today. In the last 30 years, the number of
people living below the poverty line has indeed decreased but not enough to meet
such targets. Despite the success of some countries, for instance Vietnam and
Indonesia, problems like corruption and lack of quality education are
undermining its achievement. The Philippines seems to be a successful country in
terms of economic growth that offset its problems in education, though it is yet
vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons, floods and earthquakes.
Enhancing the democratic process through improvements in law might be an
effective tool for overall development.

I hope that I have succeeded in writing the essay worthy of your

appreciation. The language is indeed very important to be part of the universal
language. It is important because without it, we cannot express our feelings,
aspirations and dreams. Language gives us a form of expression and a tool for
building a better world for all. Thus, we should always engage ourselves in the
activities that will further enhance our facility with the English language.
Language is a strong tool for us to communicate not only with our fellows but
also with other people from different cultures. It has no borders and it is used by
every human in the world. Language is a powerful instrument but its influence
on politics, economy, culture and education is still not known by most people.