Childlink, Ramon Duterte National High School reading program to improve basic reading skills for school’s Grade 7 students

Mdm. Tess Tio on behalf of Childlink Learning Center & Childlink High School, Inc. commits to support the literacy program in order to help improve the performance of the High School students in the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School.

Recognizing the importance of reading in education, Childlink Learning Center and High School Inc. remains committed to its partnership with the Ramon Duterte National High School (RDNHS) for the implementation of the  I Learn I Read program.

 

Various stakeholders, NGOs, LGUs, and other organizations who are supporting the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School were also in attendance during the Stakeholders’ Engagement 2023

The I Learn I Read program is organized by the English Department of Ramon Duterte National High School to give assistance and help extension to Grade 7 students who do not have basic reading skills and had low performance in school due to the lack of reading skills. It is conducted after their classes, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

 

Easy to read books are an important part of the I Read, I Learn Program as these spark the interest of the students. Words that can easily be read by the students help them  gain confidence in reading.

“It is very important to teach students how to read because knowing how to read will help them become confident in going to school and in doing their academics,” said Ms. Maria Theresa Tio, Childlink founder and school directress. “Knowing how to read will motivate them to learn more and become better individuals. Knowing how to read will increase their comprehension and understanding of their lessons.”

Other stakeholders and guests were given information about the I Read, I Learn Program to encourage them to support and sustain the program.

According to Ms. Tio, the I Learn I Read program aims to develop the reading skills of the Grade 7 non-readers so they could read on their own. “After learning how to read, it is expected that their academic performance and attitude towards schooling is positive and progressing,” she explained.

Mdm. Tess Tio in a posterity pose with the officials of the Department of Education and the administration of the Ramon Duterte High School
 

Childlink donated to the RDNHS the complete set of Big Books from A-Z and the early literacy workbooks in Writing, Reading, Math and Science, which were supplementary to the program. The program was implemented starting August last year.

 

Maria Theresa Tio, school director of Childlink Learning Center & Childlink High School, Inc. delivered her speech of acceptance on behalf of the school as stakeholder of  the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School during the Stakeholders’ Engagement 2023 last May 20, 2023.

Initially, Childlink proposed that the program target preschoolers but the RDNHS saw the need for it among Grade 7 students who lack basic reading skills.

The Early Literacy Program of Childlink is implemented to Grade 7 non-readers of the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School which is identified as their I Read I Learn Program.

Childlink re-engineered the program to fit to the target beneficiaries, Ms. Tio said during the Stakeholders Engagement event organized by the school.

 

Childlink being one of the valued stakeholders of the Ramon Duterte Memorial National High School was given recognition for the resources it has given to the public school in helping promote holistic learning environment.

The Philippines scored the lowest in Reading out of the 70 countries included in the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). It found that only one in five Filipino learners aged 15 achieved at least the minimum proficiency level in Overall Reading Literacy.

The 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics also showed that only 10 percent of the country's Grade 5 learners achieved minimum proficiency at the end of primary education.

Meanwhile, the World Bank estimated that the country's learning poverty is at 90.9 percent. According to the World Bank, learning poverty means being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10.

Studies have shown that reading benefits learners since it helps them develop self-esteem, improved concentration, critical and analytical thinking skills, stronger memory skills, and expanded vocabulary.