ILOILO – Alarmed by Iloilo Province’s low functional literacy ranking in recent surveys, the Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division of Iloilo has rolled out a community-based literacy recovery program to help out-of-school youths (OSYs) and adult learners improve their reading, writing, and numeracy skills.
Dubbed “Kasimaryo Ko, Tudluan Ko”, the initiative will start this September and is designed for individuals aged 19 to 65 years old who have been deprived of access to formal schooling.
The program is part of DepEd’s Alternative Learning System (ALS) and will run every Saturday in identified barangays.
“Daw na-challenge man kita last time sa pag pagwa ka aton nga agency sang results sang ila survey, daw na-tag gid ang aton probinsiya nga isa sa may pinakanaba nga functional literacy rate. Nag-conceptualize kita sang ‘Kasimaryo Ko, Tudluan Ko,’ community literacy program kag ang good thing sina, nag-memo na kita nga i-implement ina, starting this month, September,” said Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Ernesto F. Servillon Jr.
He stressed that the project is specifically tailored for OSYs, noting that the survey results clearly underscored the need.
“Our target demographic primarily includes OSYs, specifically within the 19 to 65 age bracket,” Servillon explained.
“This decision was informed by the survey results, which clearly indicated the need for such programs in our locality. We are optimistic that through this effort, we can significantly uplift the literacy and numeracy skills of our community members, ensuring that everyone has access to essential educational resources.”
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has also granted 100 Government Internship Program (GIP) slots to support the initiative, thanks to the intervention of Senator Loren Legarda.
“Gin pa-identify naton ang areas nga may very low gid nga literacy, dira naton sila i-deploy,” Servillon said.
The literacy campaign will be implemented with the cooperation of barangay officials, SK federations, and the Liga ng mga Barangay.
Servillon said community participation has been encouraging.
“Happy ako tungod sa acceptance ka aton barangay captains positive sa program nga ina. Mabulig ang barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan mag-gather learners sa barangay. Nag-suggest ako nga manami tani nga i-include ang 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) and TUPAD recipients,” he added.
Aside from Kasimaryo Ko, Tudluan Ko, DepEd Iloilo is also strengthening its “Tib-ong Bumulutho” program to boost reading and numeracy skills among students. As of June, 450 out of 1,172 schools in the province reported having no non-readers, a number expected to rise further by year-end.
“Buot hambalon, sa 450 nga schools nga na, tanan gid nga bata, kabalo na magbasa kag mag gamit sang four fundamental operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), from June to present,” Servillon said, citing gains from intensified school-based remediation programs focused on Kinder to Grade 3 learners.
He admitted, however, that the province is still recovering from setbacks during the pandemic years of 2019 to 2021, when literacy and numeracy rates sharply declined.
To complement local efforts, the division is also implementing the national ARAL Program (Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning) to further bridge learning gaps in reading, mathematics, and science.
“With the support sang bag-o nga ARAL program, hopefully mas mangin manami pa gid ang resulta sini sa last quarter nga assessment,” Servillon added./PN
