BRIGADA PAGBASA: AN AID TO ACHIEVING LITERACY IN THIS UNPRECEDENTED TIME

“Learning to read and write is like sailing on a sea of knowledge, where every wave is a new opportunity and every shore is a new achievement”.— Srinivas Mishra

Amid the health crisis brought by Covid 19 Pandemic, the Department of Education (DepEd) persists to promote literacy and numeracy through the launching of Brigada Pagbasa program which aims to cultivate a culture of reading among learners and assist those who need further aid in developing their literacy and numeracy skills. This project is in line with the 4Bs initiative, “Bawat Bata Bumabasa, Bumibilang at Sumusulat,” which intends to strengthen the perusing capability of each learner and stimulate the value of reading. In line with this, SVSF High School’s English Department in partnership with the Sangguniang Kabataan of Macabebe worked hand in hand to successfully administer the Project REAP (Reading Enrichment Activity Program) and L2R-R2L (Learn to Read – Read to Learn). Its prime goal is to develop learners’ genuine love for reading and to enhance their reading ability and linguistic proficiency. Tossing back, learning to read is habitually learned in school. However, due to the infamous COVID-19 pandemic, the new normal of educating learners has emerged in which learners began to nurture reading skills at home and reinforced through the assistance of the school’s drives. It is the primary reason in launching Project REAP and L2R-R2L. The teachers continuously monitor the reading progress of every learner through phone calls, videos, and provision of materials needed for their reading enhancement. As the situation paved way for the transition of distance learning to limited face-to-face classes, the teachers along with the SKs dropped-by the learners’ homes to extend their assistance as they, at the same time, instilled on the parents’ mind how substantial their roles are in the community, particularly in teaching their children the significance of reading. Indeed, in this trying and changing time, nothing can hinder people to thrive and to reach a common goal. Of course, that can only be achieved if we’ll work together with dedication, compassion and the fiery desire to make things possible. As Roy T. Bennett once said, “Keep going. Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.”

-oOoThe author is Teacher III at San Vicente San Francisco High School