ILOILO – Recent data from the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) revealed a concerning trend, with over 75 percent of Iloilo Province’s 180,000 learners classified as below-average readers, non-readers, or frustrated readers for the school year 2022-2023.
An initiative by the provincial government aims to significantly improve these figures by focusing on early intervention and teacher training.
Six towns have been selected as pilot sites for the Bulig Eskwela (BES) Basa initiative. According to Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, this reading program is a crucial component of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.’s BES Probins strategy aimed at addressing the province’s low literacy rates.
The selected municipalities for the pilot phase are Oton, San Miguel, Janiuay, Lambunao, Dingle, and Carles, focusing on improving reading skills among Grade 3 students.
These areas were chosen due to their notably poor performance in recent reading assessments.
“We began with these six towns and plan to expand the program across the entire province once we gain sufficient experience and develop competency,” said Banias.
The decision to target Grade 3 learners stems from the critical need to establish reading skills at this foundational stage, which significantly affects students’ ability to progress academically.
“Grade 3 is a very critical level because if they cannot read, they will have difficulty progressing to higher levels,” said Banias, emphasizing the importance of equipping students early.
To bolster the initiative, approximately 128 Grade 3 teachers from the pilot areas recently underwent training in the Oral Graphic Symbolic Language (OGSL) program.
The training, led by Public Schools District Supervisors (PSDS) from the Department of Education, covered techniques such as Sound Symbol Overlay, Building Word Power, and Language Incorporation. It also included a workshop on the Work Application Plan (WAP).
Banias, who also mentors for the education reform non-government organization Synergia, said these teachers are employed by the Department of Education, ensuring that the training’s benefits are sustained within the school system. He added that regular assessments would be conducted to evaluate the program’s impact. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency)/PN
