Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa calls for book donations

As graduation season approaches, civil society-led campaign Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa calls on private schools to further promote the love and facility for reading and learning by organizing book donation drives among their students, especially those who are graduating this year.

Co-convenors former Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro, BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito, and civil society leader Vicky Garchitorena launched Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa last year on Nov. 27, Araw ng Pagbasa, at the Aurora Quezon Elementary School in San Andres Bukid, Malate, Manila.

Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa aims to donate 10 million storybooks a year to public schools nationwide, for the use of students from kindergarten to senior high school. The campaign aims to help public school children gain access to a wide range of creative, interesting, and ageappropriate reading materials and instill in them a culture of reading and learning.

“Storybooks are an important part of learning because they spark a child’s imagination, help reinforce values learned at home and in school, and teach about different people and environments. We believe that through this campaign, we will help foster a love of reading and learning among Filipino children, equip them with key skills, and build their character,” Luistro said.

“Graduating students have a unique opportunity to help younger students by sharing the storybooks they grew to love through the years. Students may organize themselves in collecting well-loved books, which they can then turn over to the Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa Secretariat,” he added.

Sa Pagbasa, May Pag-asa encourages private schools to adopt the campaign by collecting age-appropriate storybooks from their students.

The co-convenors also propose that schools request their graduating students to bring one storybook each, books that they loved growing up, for donation to public school students who will come after them.