Santa Marcela, Apayao to launch Municipal Literacy Program to boost reading skills

Santa Marcela, Apayao -  Santa Marcela LGU on Monday, June 9, plans to launch a literacy intervention dubbed as ‘Municipal Literacy Program’  on June 12 to address poor reading literacy concerns among identified primary learners in town.

Said program was an initiative of the LGU led by Mayor Evelyn B. Martinez in partnership with the DepEd Santa Marcela Schools and the two reading material sponsors PUP Professor Hermeline B. Aguilar, Ph.D and NU Professor Jennifor L. Aguilar, EdD.

According to the findings conveyed by teachers to the monthly Local School Board meeting for the whole year of 2024, the number of both poor readers and non-readers aged 8-12 across some elementary schools were still high, despite certain reading strategies carried out by teachers.

The findings underscored that some children don’t know how to read basic words while some do not understand what they read.

In a phone interview with Public Schools District Supervisor Marivic Calelao through SAO Oscar Ramos, she relayed that one of the major causes of learners’ difficulty in reading, remembering and comprehension was digital distractions.

“Our kids are nowadays overexposed to gadgets and social media, that’s why they have lesser time on their reading materials - a great factor on the decline of their ability to read and write,’’ she said.

The intervention to be implemented will be facilitated by school teachers in the form of three separate books authored by the two professors, designed to help learners learn letters, words, and meanings relative to reading development.

The medium of instructions used in the books were written in mixed Ilocano, tagalog and English language.  It is expected that through said program, primary learners and even secondary ones will benefit and will improve in their reading abilities.

Moreover, Mayor Martinez encouraged parents to do their part at their homes highlighting that literacy is a crucial tool for  the town’s development and transformation.

“I look forward for the effectiveness of this program hoping that this literacy initiative will serve as models for others. To our partner parents, let us assist also our children during their learning process, literacy will advance us to remarkable heights of progress,’’ Martinez said.