Monday, March 03, 2008 Helping build a new generation of readers
MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato -- A USAid official recently turned over books and other learning materials, through its cornerstone education project, the Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (Equalls2) to five schools in this town.
Lisa Chiles, USAid deputy assistant administrator for Asia and the Near East, remarked on the impact of donated books in five schools of Midsayap where reading programs for students and parents have been set up.
"I am glad to know that schools are maximizing the use of these materials by implementing reading programs for students and opening camps for parents and community members alike," remarked Chiles.
She was joined by USAid Philippine deputy mission director Elzadia Washington, USAid office of education chief Tom Crehan, Equalls2 chief of party Bill Potter, and regional Department of Education officials.
The books are contributions of publishers in the US through the US-based Brother's Brother Foundation, which has given more than two million books in the Philippines.
Last week, the USAid officials distributed more than 300 titles ranging from pre-reader picture books through primary language books, references, and activity books on English and science.
More than 500 titles are earmarked for distribution to each school supported by the Equalls2 project in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm), Western Mindanao and Central Mindanao.
The visitors also witnessed a reading exercise by grade one pupils and their parents in Flauta Elementary School, one of the five schools implementing a reading mediation program.
"We have been implementing this reading program since 2000. One limitation then was the scarcity of storybooks and other reading materials. Now, we have enough books to go around," stated Principal Charlita Ragonton of Flauta Elementary School.
Based on results of a DepEd reading assessment test, Flauta's reading program has helped more than 1,200 students progress from the level of frustration readers to instructional and independent readers in the past three years.
The reading program works by meeting twice a month for a period of six months where a teacher facilitates the reading session. Parents sit with their children to participate and learn how the teacher is doing it so that they can do the same reading lesson at home.
"The program has helped curb the drop out rate of elementary schools in Midsayap by making sure that every child learns to read by the end of the school year," Ragonton added.
"The reading program changed the way I look at my children's education. I used to think that my responsibility as a parent was just to send my kids to school and it was up to the teacher to make them learn. But after attending the reading camps, I observed that my kids performed better knowing that I am there to support them," explained Florencia Galvez, a mother of three grade school children in Flauta Elementary School.
USAid's Equalls2 Project also supported the expansion of the reading program by constructing small reading camps at the back of the schools where peer-teaching for slow readers are done during lunch break.
"Some high school students and out-of-school children and youth in the barangay even come here for leisure reading or to do research on weekends," Ragonton added.
Dr. Gloria Mudanza, Department of Education division superintendent, affirmed the impact of USAid support to the town's educational performance.
This year, the town registered a mean percentage score of 78 percent in the regional assessment test - higher than the national standard of 75 percent. Its teaching force has also reaped national citations.
"The continuing support we get from our local government and agencies like USAid have inspired us to do better. Just recently, a number of our teachers from this town garnered national citations for being the best reading teachers and special education teachers," stated Mudanza.
Equalls2 is committed to improve access to quality elementary education in selected towns of the Armm, Western Mindanao, and Central Mindanao by improving teaching competencies of 24,000 teachers in English, science, and math and providing better learning opportunities though renovating classrooms, and distributing books and learning aids. In Midsayap, Equalls2 partners with Save the Children in providing access to quality education to elementary schoolchildren.
