DepEd orders use of English and Filipino for K-3 instruction

The Department of Education (DepEd) announced on July 3 that both English and Filipino will now serve as the primary medium of instruction for Kindergarten to Grade 3.

DepEd Order No. 020, series of 2025, mandates the use of Filipino and English, including Filipino Sign Language for deaf and hard-of-hearing learners, as the primary medium of instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, taking effect 15 days after its publication and issuance. 

According to DepEd, the order provides for the wide usage of Filipino and English and recognizes the role of the first language as a bridging language. 

The move aligns with RA 12027, or the Act Discontinuing the Use of Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction from Kindergarten to Grade 3, which removes the requirement of using the mother tongue as the primary language of instruction for early grade levels.

“This order shall rescind the language provisions for Key Stage 1 in DepEd Order 010, series of 2024, otherwise known as the Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of the MATATAG Curriculum,” DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said.

Angara added that regional languages will serve as auxiliary instruction tools and noted that language variation in classrooms creates learning challenges.

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchallian acknowledged the said order as the sponsor of RA 12027. 

“In implementing this policy, we are hoping that it will be easier for our students to understand their lessons, especially as the use of the mother tongue was not effective in our schools,” Gatchalian stated.