Following the 2-day workshop for school principals, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) and the Synergeia Foundation, with the assistance of the Iloilo Province Education Core Group (EDCORE), are currently facilitating a 3-day capacity-building activity for over 100 elementary teachers from 11 pilot municipalities in Iloilo to improve the reading competencies of learners.
During the Education Summit in July last year, Synergeia Foundation President and CEO Milwida Guevara revealed DepEd’s data showing that only 27.80 per cent of Grade 3 students in the province are “grade ready” or able to read and comprehend at their respective grade level.
Responding to this, Governor Defensor accepted the challenge for Iloilo to be the pilot area for implementing the Proof of Concept (POC) program that decentralizes basic education to LGUs to improve the performance outcomes of learners.
Iloilo is the only province in the whole country to pilot the POC.
Iloilo Provincial Administrator Raul Banias said the province under POC aims to enable all Grade 3 learners to read by the end of the 2025 school year.
“Aside from the POC piloted in 11 municipalities, we will also have a province-wide education reform/reading program to be launched soon,” said Banias.
This has become a key component of the Bulig Eskwela sang Probinsya (BES PROBINS) initiated by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., who recognized that structural problems in the education system also affect how a child learns.
BES PROBINS is a program for an effective, relevant, and transformative educational system towards a progressive Iloilo.
The weeklong workshop features high-calibre resource speakers from Synergeia led by Ms. Milwida Guevara, former Department of Agriculture Secretary Ernie Garilao, former Bureau of Customs Commissioner John Philip “Sunny” Sevilla, Dr. Antonio Torralba, Mr. John Silva, Mr. Edwin Nacionales, and Iloilo 3rd District Board Member Jason Gonzales, among others.
Ma’am Excely Cordero of Sara Central Elementary School said the training is very helpful for them.
“The training has various activities which I can share with my students to help them learn better at reading,” said Cordero.
Sir Rey Villanueva of Sto. Domingo Elementary School in Barotac Viejo thanked the province for organizing this workshop.
“Good job to the Province of Iloilo for capacitating us teachers to be more effective,” said Villanueva.
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