UNDERSTANDING a lesson can become harder when students are also trying to understand the language being used to teach it.
This is the gist of a new policy note from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). They looked at school-based linguistic deprivation, which happens when the languages students use at home do not match the language used in school.
The study found that better language matching was associated with higher achievement in mathematics, Filipino and English. The strongest effect appeared in mathematics, showing that language can matter even in a subject often associated more with numbers than words. The findings point to a more practical question for language policy in schools. Instead of looking only at which language is officially required, schools also need to consider whether students can clearly understand the language through which their lessons are being taught.
This latest research only confirms worldwide findings on this subject. A mother tongue-based education system works best — especially in Grades 1 and 2 — because it meets young learners where they are: at the moment they begin to understand the world through school.
Our children usually arrive with an existing language ability shaped by home and community. They already speak, listen, tell stories, express needs, and make sense of everyday life in their first language. When teachers build lessons on that foundation, learning becomes faster, deeper and more inclusive. For early learners, the mother tongue is not a “support only”; it is the best starting point for literacy, comprehension, participation and confidence.
Young children need instruction they fully understand. In many Grade 1 classrooms, the language used to teach reading, science, math and other lessons may not match the child’s home language. Even with good teaching, children still face a major challenge: They must learn new academic content while also learning the language used to deliver it.
That double task often overwhelms early learners, when reading itself is already difficult. Mother-tongue based instruction removes this barrier. When children understand the words and meanings, they can focus on the real learning target: letter-sound relationships, vocabulary growth, sentence understanding and problem-solving.
As the PIDS study indicates, mother-tongue based education strengthens the foundations of literacy. Literacy is not just knowing letters; it is understanding how spoken language connects to written language. Children develop key reading skills — such as hearing and manipulating sounds — through the language they already know best.
When Grades 1 and 2 pupils learn to connect sounds to spelling in a familiar language, they can easily recognize patterns in how words are formed and pronounced. This supports early reading success: decoding words, reading simple sentences and understanding what they read. With a strong literacy base in the mother tongue, later learning in Filipino and English becomes easier because the child already understands how reading works.
Mother tongue-based education also makes education more equitable. In the Philippines, children do not start school with the same language exposure. Some learners — often in urban areas or places with heavy media influence — may hear Filipino or English more regularly at home. Others in rural communities rely mainly on their mother tongue. If school demands a different language for instruction, it can widen the gap between those who are already comfortable with the school language and those who are not. Mother tongue-based education reduces this inequality by ensuring all learners begin with the language they know best.
This education supports identity and motivation. Language is connected to belonging and self-worth. When children hear their community’s language respected and used in school, they feel valued. They experience learning as something meant for them, not something imposed on them. In Grades 1 and 2, motivation is crucial because early struggles can lead to embarrassment, low confidence and disengagement. When learners understand what they say and read, they develop the confidence to keep trying.
A common concern is, “Won’t this delay Filipino and English?” Mother tongue-based education does not mean postponing other languages. It means beginning with the language that makes learning possible now — while gradually building additional languages as learners develop literacy and comprehension. A strong reading foundation in the mother tongue improves transfer skills, so learners can easily adapt to Filipino and English later. They do not start from zero; they build skills they can carry across languages.
Filipino and English are now the required languages of instruction from kindergarten to Grade 3. Perhaps we can return to the mother tongue-based system, since global research confirms it’s best for early learners.
