ILOILO – The Department of Education (DepEd) – Schools Division of (SDO) Iloilo welcomed Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.’s approval of the proposal to hire 500 remedial reading teachers to help non-readers and struggling readers in public schools.
“So, ini ginakalipay ko diri sa province of Iloilo. Manami gid ang suporta sang aton internal and external stakeholders,” said SDO Iloilo superintendent Dr. Ernesto F. Servillon Jr.
During the Education Summit organized by the Iloilo provincial government in coordination with Synergia Foundation and DepEd on July 19, the results of the reading proficiency test conducted by the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI) from grades 4 to 11 was bared – 73.67 percent of 191,495 learners in school year (SY) 2022-2023 in the province were performing below average.
The Phil-IRI, an initiative of the Bureau of Learning Delivery of DepEd, is an informal reading inventory composed of graded passages designed to determine the individual student’s performance in oral reading, silent reading and listening comprehension in both English and Filipino.
These three types of assessments aim to determine the student’s independent, instructional and frustration levels. Data from these measures could be used to design or adjust classroom, small group or individualized instruction to fit the student’s needs and abilities.
Servillon said the SDO Iloilo hopes to hire remedial teachers before the opening of classes on Aug. 29, so remedial reading classes could begin this SY 2023-2024.
“Amo na ang plan, to trim down or tani ma-eradicate ang high number of non-readers or struggling readers, and struggling pupils or students along numeracy. And hopefully, by the end of the school year, makita na naton ang epekto,” Servillon added.
Remedial teachers will be assigned to grade levels with many non-readers or struggling readers. Concerned schools will be monitored by the SDO Iloilo as well.
As to the exact implementation of remedial classes, Servillon said the crafting of programs is ongoing between the SDO Iloilo and the provincial government through the Provincial School Board.
In a separate interview, Defensor said the Special Education Fund would cover the salaries of remedial teachers following the implemented requirements and guidelines of the DepEd on the hiring process.
Defensor further said the 500 remedial teachers may still increase as respective municipalities also hire remedial teachers.
The duration of the employment of remedial teachers will be based on whether the SDO Iloilo has observed improvements in the learners.
On reading proficiency, Servillon reviewed the Reading and Numeracy Road Map of the SDO Iloilo on his first day as superintendent of the province on May 22.
“Gusto ko ina i-enhance, that is why I did not settle for learning and numeracy as strategy nga nakita ko didto. So gin-enhance kag gindugangan naton sang additional features,” Servillon said.
Under the Reading and Numeracy Road Map are the learning and numeracy activities embedded in the workload of regular teachers.
Servillon institutionalized the tools used to evaluate learners to ensure that teachers and school heads work out in the field.
The tools used to evaluate reading proficiency are the Comprehensive Rapid Learning Assessment for grades 1 to 3 and the Phil-IRI for grades 4 to 11./PN
