Photo: Retired Grade 1 Teacher Madam Veneranda Lingbawan, a Volunteer Tutor teaching reading to an LSEN
Tabuk City, Kalinga – While schools are yet to completely return to the traditional face-to-face learning, the Kalinga Special Education (KSPED) Center continues to strengthen the reading proficiency and nurture the culture of reading among its learners through the Department of Education’s "Brigada Pagbasa: Binnadang ti Panagbasa."
In an interview with KSPED Teacher Melanie Baterina, Brigada Pagbasa School Coordinator, she said that due to the pandemic, learners with special educational needs were among those to be provided with more interventions in enhancing their reading skills since some parents are not skilled to teach them.
“Isuda iti mas in need a talaga... kasla mapan dan iti level iti struggling readers ta awan met iti face-to-face ta kurang met ti training ti parents,” she said.
But with the "Brigada Pagbasa: Binnadang ti Panagbasa”, the learners are being scheduled to attend reading sessions at a reading area set up in the KSPED Center.
“Adda iti room nga inaramid mi … a reading area nga iti mangyari dita, i-schedule mi iti ubing nga umay,” she explained.
Need for volunteer tutor and reader
With the program’s implementation, Baterina said they need volunteer tutors and volunteer readers.
Volunteer tutors will conduct reading related to teaching and learning sessions while the volunteer readers will be the ones to conduct storytelling activities for the learners with special educational needs.
If interested, they may contact 09435460504 or 09068455260.
Need for books and other forms of assistance
Apart from volunteer tutors and readers, they also need donors of new or gently used books for their learners. These books can be storybooks and other reading materials for toddlers to pre-school.
Additionally, donors could also provide support to the implementation of the Brigada Pagbasa financially; through giving of food or snacks for the children, teachers, and volunteers; or through donating hygiene kits and other supplementary materials for the reading program operation.
Donated books are for drop-off at the KSPED building in Bulanao.
As for financial assistance, they may be sent through GCash: 09261167599 or through Melanie B. Baterina’s RCBC Account Number: 9023112263.
‘We need to work as a community to nurture learners’
Meanwhile, the Brigada Pagbasa School Coordinator expressed that the support of the community to the Brigada Pagbasa will really help the students, especially those with special needs.
“The African Proverb says, 'It takes a village to raise a child.' We need to work as a community to nurture our learners in this challenging time. We hope that with this endeavor, through the help of our supportive stakeholders in the city, no learners will be left behind in reading, most especially the learners with special educational needs,” Baterina conveyed.
Meantime, to source out books and funds for the Brigada Pagbasa, the Kalinga Special Education Center has also sold bread, pastries, and calamansi juice under the ‘Bun for my Books’ program and they also sell organic vegetables and ornamental plants.
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