GUIDELINES ON THE

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
MOTHER TONGUE-BASED-
MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION
(MTB-MLE)
FEBRUARY 17, 2012 DO 16, S. 2012

GEMMA A. BAUZON
1.Starting School Year (SY) 2012-2013, the
Mother Tongue-Based-Multilingual Education
(MTB-MLE) shall be implemented in all public
schools, specifically in Kindergarten, Grades
1, 2 and 3 as part of the K to 12 Basic
Education Program. The MTB-MLE shall
support the goal of “Every Child-A-Reader
and A-Writer by Grade 1.”
2. The Lingua Franca Project (1999-2001) and the
Lubuagan Project (1999 to present) have provided
valuable inputs in the implementation of the MTB-MLE.
Nine hundred twenty-one (921) schools including those
for children of indigenous people have been modeling
MTB-MLE with support from the following:
a. Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM);
b. Third Elementary Education Program (TEEP);
c. Translators Association of the Philippines (TAP);
d. Save the Children, and the Summer Institute of
Linguistics (SIL).
1.Eight (8) major languages or Lingua Franca
and others as cited below shall be offered as
a learning area and utilized as language of
instruction for SY 2012-2013:
a. Tagalog;                 g. Hiligaynon;
b. Kapampangan;        h. Waray;
c. Pangasinense;        i. Tausug;
d. Iloko;                      j. Maguindanaoan;
e. Bikol;                     k. Maranao; and
f. Cebuano;                 l. Chabacano
What is DO # 74, S 2009

The DepEd Order No. 74 issued in 2009

institutionalized Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education (MTB MLE)
nationwide and mandated the use of the
learners' mother tongue (MT) in improving
learning outcomes from Kindergarten to
Grade Three (DepEd, 2012).
What is the importance of using mother tongue in
teaching?

Research shows that education in the mother

tongue is a key factor for inclusion and quality
learning, and it also improves learning
outcomes and academic performance. This is
crucial, especially in primary school to avoid
knowledge gaps and increase the speed of
learning and comprehension.Feb 18, 2022
What are the two modules in mother tongue?

The MTB-MLE is implemented in two modules:

1) as a learning/subject area and
2) as medium of instruction. As a subject,
mother tongue education focuses on the
development of speaking, reading, and writing
from Grades 1 to 3 in the mother tongue.Oct
24, 2016
The principles behind the implementation of
MTB-MLE

The implementation of the MTB MLE language

policy is rooted in the fact that
(1) the Philippines is a multilingual country
(2) the learners' cognitive and academic
competence need to be improved.
What are the strategies used in teaching MTB-
MLE?

The Mother-Tongue Approach

•Listening.
•Repetition.
•Step by Step Mastery.
•Memory.
•Parental Involvement.
Benefits of MTB-MLE( Advantages)

•reduced drop-out.
•reduced repetition.
•more attendance.
•more learning.
•more involvement and participation from parents
and the community.
•more cost-effective in the implementation.
What is the disadvantage of teaching MTB-MLE?

Four out of six key informants believed that the

disadvantage of teaching Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education is that:
1. some students rely on their mother tongue.
2.They may have the tendency to forget and may
decrease their capacity to learn other languages,
more importantly the English language.
THE MTB-MLE GOAL:

“EVERY CHILD A- READER AND A-WRITER”

BY GRADE 1