The Department of Education (DepEd) Region V is set to implement its latest initiative, “6B Bawat Batang Bicolano Bihasang Bumasa at Bumilang,” which aims to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of learners in the Bicol Region.
According to Regional Director Gilbert Sadsad, the project is a multi-stakeholder approach that emphasizes the importance of volunteerism, community involvement and Teachers Education Institutions (TEIs) in complementing education initiatives at the ground level.
The program will kick off in January 2024 with orientation and capacity building, followed by monitoring and evaluation and program sustainability and strengthening. The most effective Project 6B initiatives for school and division levels will be selected and awarded from June to July 2024.
“The last time, the end of school year assessment ang ating non-readers na lang ay is 4.5 percent tapos doon lang yan sa Grade 1-3 but we still have a big number who belong to the moderate…so ang gagawin ng volunteers natin dito sila tututok sa non-readers and needing moderate intervention and that is only for Grade 1 to 3,” RD Sadsad said.
Aside from a volunteer teacher program, the project also includes the establishment of reading spaces and library facilities, community resource and recovery centers for technology and literacy, and the integration of technology and innovative teaching methods to enhance the learning experience.
With the diverse learners in the region, volunteers from various sectors, such as community professionals, teacher applicants, and education graduates, are expected to play an essential role in ensuring effective reading and counting skills development among Bicolano students.
“There should be a supportive home learning environment sa kanila even their communities should be supporting to them, that is a dream, yan po ang pinaka-dream natin, everyone is aware and everyone is at stake and accountable for the learning of our students,” Maria Cristina Baroso said, Project Development Officer IV.
The success and impact of the 6B project will be measured through the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), and local communities are encouraged to support and reinforce the goals of the initiative.
“What we do not have yet a raw data is from Grade 4 to 10 kase nasa taas (national) na wala kami assessment but what we have done for the last months we also formulated CRLA for Grade 4 to 10,” RD Sadsad added.
DepEd Bicol hopes that the project will serve as a model for other regions and educational institutions aiming to improve literacy rates and educational outcomes.
“This is only in Bicol Region and actually, alam po ninyo some other regions have replicated this initiative, imagine po DepEd Region 8 is also replicating this and then Region 10 and CAR,” Ms. Baroso said. | Jeric Lopez
