One of the changes in Basic Education Curriculum brought about by the  new  K-12 program is the  introduction of Mother Tongue- Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) specifically in Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2 and 3 to support the goal of “ Every Child- A- Reader and A –Writer” by Grade 1.”
MTB-MLE aimed for “first-language-first“. This will conquer the problem about the learners' illiteracy due to the language used for teaching. DepEd stated that each primary learners should learn the first stages of education with their mother tongue as the language of instructions. 
Learning the first language is significant for the learners, to express their feelings, thoughts or ideas more effectively, since they are using their first language and it showcase their comforts to express more. It also helps the learners to participate well in academic and curricular activities since they understand the language well. Currently, there are twelve (12) major languages or lingua franca that shall be language of instruction. The  major  languages are a) Tagalog  b) Kapampangan  c) Pangasinense  d) Iloko   e) Bikol f) Cebuano g) Hiligaynon  h) Waray i) Tausug  j) Maguindanaoan k)  Maranao;  l) Chavacano.