PSS urged to include indigenous language class in high school graduation requirements

The CNMI Youth Congress is urging the Public School System to include a Chamorro and Carolinian language class to the high school curriculum which will become part of their graduation requirements.

Youth senators, in a newly passed resolution, disclosed that the native languages of the Commonwealth are slowly becoming obsolete because many of the younger generation are non-speakers of local dialects.

PSS currently is implementing a Chamorro Carolinian Language Heritage Studies program that offers classes from kindergarten to eighth grade in all public schools.

However, due to budget constraints, hiring of instructors was hampered resulting in the program being offered only in 8th grade for the middle school level and in the elementary level.

Secondary principals’ representative Jonas Barcinas said yesterday the CCLHS program in the 8th grade is considered one credit and among the 11 credit requirements for a student to complete middle school. He said in the elementary level, the program is offered as a regular subject for each grade level, along with the content areas.

Barcinas is in favor of allowing the program to be extended to high school and be among the graduation credit requirements in order to provide “consistency” and “continuity” of instruction.

He said under the current Board of Education policy, a senior student has to complete 28 credit requirements in order to graduate in high school and CCLHS, or any related classes, are not offered even as part of their electives.

Barcinas said this issue has been discussed even as high as the PSS leadership level. It needs to consider various factors before making any recommendation to the board. One of these factors is the budget in hiring instructors and additional classrooms for the program.

PSS earlier disclosed that 8th grade students in CNMI middle schools failed to meet the benchmarks set by the PSS on its CCLHS curriculum for SY 2009-2010. To improve the “significantly low” performance recorded by students, BOE has approved the increase of the CCLHS credit requirement from .05 credit to one credit last year.

Saipan Tribune learned that the 8th graders who receive Carolinian instructions in SY 2009-2010 show that 76 percent did not meet the standards. For the 8th grade Chamorro, 72 percent failed the requirements.

It was also disclosed that CCLHS teachers taught on a rotating daily schedule (rotating between CCLHS, and wellness and health, journalism, agriculture, etc.). By semester, teachers taught CCLHS one semester while the other semester was for wellness and other electives.

Barcinas told Saipan Tribune that despite the increased credit for the program, he believes that more instructional time should be provided to students in order to improve the records. He said the expansion of the program to high school will help in achieving PSS’ goal of preserving the local languages.