Filipino students languish in international exams because of poor comprehension and in expressing themselves, a federation of private schools said yesterday.

“The government must own its share of the problem,” Eleazardo Kasilag, adviser/consultant of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools and Administrators, said in a statement.

Kasilag urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to bring back English as a medium of instruction in schools and the language in all forms of private and government communications.

“We used to have a good command of English but because Filipino became the medium of instruction, we lost proficiency,” Kasilag said.

“Let DepEd issue a relevant memorandum. This shall harness all that is vital to upgrade ourselves in the language once again,” Kasilag said.

“Another important step is to expose children, even those out of school, to English advertisements in the tri-media,” Kasilag said.

“If this needs congressional approval to oblige the Ad Standards Council, the agency in charge of this, then it has to be promulgated at once,” he added.