The Department of Education (DepEd), through the Curriculum and Instruction strand, facilitated the conduct of the Consultative Forum on Curriculum and Instruction’s Issues and Concerns on November 25, 2019 at the Philippine International Convention Center as a venue to identify the current challenges and verify the recommended interventions addressing the need to provide quality education for all. Education leaders, including selected DepEd Central Office (CO) bureaus/ divisions, Regional (RO) and Schools Division (SDO) offices, in all regions of the country were gathered to discuss the strategies to shift from access to quality education.
Its main highlight is the launch and unveiling of the Seal of Commitment for the “Hamon: Bawat Bata Bumabasa (3Bs) Initiative” as a step to improve literacy competencies and skills of children for lifelong learning and as to bridge the gaps of learners’ reading comprehension based on the results of national assessments. As indicated in DepEd Memorandum Order No. 173, series of 2019, all offices at the CO, ROs, SDOs and school levels are highly encouraged to support the campaign of DepEd’s 3Bs initiatives by intensifying advocacy for reading and by pledging commitment to make every learner a reader at his/ her grade level. These offices should align their priorities towards the promotion of the culture of reading, considering the Conceptual Elements in implementing the program which are Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension.
According to the Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado M. San Antonio during his welcome remarks, “Ito ang pinakauna natin dapat gawin, kasi we can never pursue quality education if the kids do not know how to read. This is the basic tool for lifelong learning. We will never expect a Filipino or any human being to continue to learn without actually being equipped with the fundamental reading skill”.
The Literacy Coordinating Council Secretariat attended the said conference, presented its policy recommendations, and supports the campaign and advocacy of DepEd’s challenge to make every child able to read as an initial movement to globalize literacy and improve the quality of basic education in the country.
