Good news for Filipino families living in the Province of Alberta in Canada: your children will be taught Filipino language and culture as part of the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) curriculum of schools there. It will be offered starting in September 2020.The announcement was made by Alberta Premier Rachel Notley herself in a recent video post in her official Facebook account: “We’re developing Filipino K-12 curriculum to add to the 26 languages currently offered in Alberta schools. Alberta is made richer and stronger by the diversity of our cultures and languages. At 170,000 strong, the Filipino community is one of our fastest-growing populations.
They’ve brought essential skills to our workforce and added so much to our social fabric.”
The Filipino language will be the ninth international language included in Alberta’s provincial curriculum. The others are Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, German, Italian, Japanese, Punjabi, Spanish and Ukrainian.
The Philippine Consulate General in Calgary quickly welcomed the recent announcement: “The expansion of the teaching of the Filipino curriculum at Alberta schools would open many opportunities to generate a deeper involvement of the Filipino Community and ensure that generations of young Filipinos will continue to learn and appreciate their rich culture and unique identity.”
The Consulate General also encourages the Filipino community in Alberta to actively engage the local authorities regarding the introduction of the K-12 Filipino curriculum next year within the school districts with large Filipino student populations.
Last year, a number of Filipino-led groups signed a petition asking for the adoption of the Filipino language into the International Language Programs of Study in Alberta. They said Filipino teachers living in Calgary can assist in developing the curriculum.
