THE 18th Youth Congress last week passed Youth Congress Bill 18-2, which proposes to require all public schools to teach at least one full year of Chamorro and Carolinian language classes.
Authored by Youth Congress Speaker Cielo Citlalli G. Long, Y.C.B. 18-2 would also require the Public School System to offer at least two years of Chamorro and Carolinian language classes to students who wish to continue instruction after the first mandatory year.
The measure mandates PSS to hire individuals who are qualified to teach either language at the level in which they are assigned.
The bill states that PSS should not set instructor requirements in such a way that no classes can be offered in the 2021 to 2022 school year.
PSS must set instructor or teacher qualifications in such a way that classes can begin immediately.
Y.C.B. 18-2 exempts Chamorro and Carolinian language teachers from Praxis examinations or other similarly required exams for other teachers.
The bill further provides that Chamorro and Carolinian language classes “shall be counted as a foreign language credit that is required as a prerequisite for high school students.”
Y.C.B. 18-2 states that saving indigenous languages is crucial “to ensure the protection of cultural dignity of our indigenous people, and safeguard our traditional heritage.”
It cites Guam census indicating that only 16% of the entire population could speak Chamorro.
The bill states that CNMI statistics “similarly points out the lack of cultural enrichment and [local] language comprehension within our islands.”
A short survey among high school students on Tinian illustrated a similar percentage as Guam’s, with just 18% speaking Chamorro and Carolinian at home or among friends and family, the bill added.
“Providing students the opportunity to indulge in their cultural background, through language, is necessary to uphold cultural preservation and to defend against our indigenous language being lost forever,” the bill states.
Bills passed by the Youth Congress are forwarded to the governor and the presiding officers of the Legislature “for disposition.”
Cielo Citlalli G. Long
