REINVENTING READING

AURORA L. MALLARI

It is a fact that reading and writing go hand-in-hand. Meaning before a student learns how to write, will be the ability to read.

But what can be done to turn us into a nation of readers? Aside from pouring more public and private support for libraries, stakeholders should tap new media and other resources to turn more Filipinos independent, committed readers.

A report notes that a state university teacher taking part in a textbook review suggested that the authors consider an ebook version. The recommendation was not just prompted by observations that undergraduates now seem to prefer to take photos of pages rather than borrow or buy a book.

If ebooks, which are cheaper than traditional books made of paper, were more accessible, will we finally become a nation of readers?

The report pointed out that “the problem of non-reading lies at the heart of why the Philippines is so uncompetitive in the world economy and why so many of our people continue to live in poverty or barely escape it.”

It cited an oral test determining a student’s reading ability, which was administered to elementary schools in the Division of Manila during school year 2003-2004. The reading test scores showed that “over one-third of elementary graduates were identified as ‘frustrated’ readers; another one-third were ‘instructional’ readers.” Frustrated readers “commit multiple types of errors in oral reading” and “withdraw from reading,” as defined by the PhilIRI. An instructional reader “can profit from instruction.” It furthered that “only one-sixth to one-third of pupils can read independently at the desired grade level”.

Reading skills are basic for survival and lifetime learning. As a skill, reading “requires the development of a habit that must be exercised daily if it is to be retained and enhanced”.

Public libraries are important resources for creating and sustaining a habit of reading. A readership survey in 2017 showed that aside from the readers buying or borrowing books, 33.98 percent of the respondents received books as gifts. For many Filipinos who cannot prioritize books in their budgets or have relatives or friends who present them with books, a public library represents a free or affordable resource to make reading a regular habit.

Another study is needed to evaluate the books and other resources available in libraries. In order to develop a reading habit, schoolchildren need books that tell stories in an interesting manner while developing a broader vocabulary. Textbooks, which are more lesson-oriented, lack the imagination that children need to develop the reading habit.

Public and private partnerships must be explored to tap other ways to make reading more attractive to Filipinos, such as converting literature and academic references to ebooks and translating popular fiction in mother tongues and making these available online. As such, infusing technology into libraries can draw more citizens to congregate in social hubs where reading can be promoted, along with other activities that enhance literacy, survival, and lifelong learning.

The author is Master Teacher

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I at Sta. Maria Elementary School, Macabebe West District