INTERVENTIONS TO ADDRESS READING GAPS

APRILYNN. N. NAVARRO

The Department of Education (DepEd), acknowledging the challenges in the education quality of the country even before the pandemic, introduced various ongoing interventions to address issues on basic education. It launched the Bawat Bata Bumabasa (3Bs) initiative before the pandemic, with field offices aggressively coming up with contextualized approaches to increase reading proficiency among learners. In addition to 3Bs, the Every Child a Reader Program (ECARP) also integrates strengthened initiatives on Early Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program (ELLN), Mother TongueBased of Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE), and Pedagogical Retooling in Mathematics, Languages, and Science (PRIMALS). Amidst the public health situation, the DepEd carried on to roll out reforms in the curriculum, the learning environment, and the teacher professional development through its Sulong EduKalidad campaign. The issue of learning poverty has been a dilemma of the country for years and the Department is proactively dealing with it for the long term. With the objectives of the Sulong EduKalidad campaign and Basic Education Development Plan (BEDP) 2030 set to materialize in the coming years, the DepEd said it is leaving behind a worthy mission to continue for the next DepEd administration. While it has come a long way in its quest for quality education, the DepEd is far from done with its journey. The Department said its efforts must be consistent, cohesive, and collaborative to achieve quality education to every Filipino child.

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