‘Whole School Reading’ program to be implemented in Mindanao

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with Petron Corp. and the United States Agency for International Development-Education Development Center (USAID-EDC) for the implementation starting next school year of the Whole School Reading (WSR) program in three regions of Mindanao.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said he signed the partnership agreement early this school year with Petron Corp. president Eric Recto and EDC chief of party Marcial Salvatierra.

Luistro, in a memorandum received here recently by Region 9 Director Walter Albos, said the program is designed to improve the reading skills of over 35,000 public elementary school children in conflict-affected rural communities in the three Southern Philippines areas.

Luistro identified the three regions as Western Mindanao or Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9), Central Mindanao (Region 12) and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The program, which will last for 16 months, initially provides identified beneficiary schools with teacher training as well as books and appropriate instructional materials for marginalized grade school children, Luistro said.

The DepEd chief claimed the WSR runs parallel to the agency’s “Every Child A Reader” program where the government channels resources to enable Grade 1 pupils to read with comprehension before they reach Grade 3.

Earlier, Petron and EDC successfully collaborated with DepEd from 2007 to 2011 under the Education Quality for Alternative Livelihood Learnings (EQuALLs) project which provided educational support to indigent children and youth in poverty-stricken parts of Mindanao.

Luistro explained that in this partnership for the WSR program, “the thrusts are to promote reading in low performing elementary schools and to ensure the professional development of mentors in the teaching of beginning reading.

According to Luistro, reading with comprehension enables school children to hasten their learning of other major subject areas including Science, Mathematics and Social Studies.

He said the USAID-EDC earmarked $1.3 million for the WSR while Petron pledged to provide P21 million. DepEd will supply the policy guidance and direction to ensure the proper enforcement of the project.

Aside from their logistic support, USAID-EDC and Petron will jointly develop with the education department the objectives, targets, strategies and implementing mechanisms of the project.

The education secretary said the WSR project, which is a part of the DepEd’s-Adopt-A-School program, also enjoins the support of the private sector in filling up education resource gaps.