MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA)--Sixteen (16) parents of pupils from Sikap Elementary School completed the Brigada sa Pagbasa (Unlocking Literacy) program of the Department of Education and World Vision Philippines.

The Brigada Pagbasa program aims to equip the parents with knowledge and skills in teaching their children who have difficulty in reading or writing.

“Ang tuturuan ay mga bata na may reading issues, like for slow learners hindi marunong magbasa, hindidi makarecognzie ng alphabet letters, o nahihirapan irecognize ang sound of letters,” said Johairah B. Hadji Latiph, peace club adviser and barangay youth mentor of Sikap Elementary School.

[Those who will be taught are the children with reading issues, like for slow learners who can't read, can't recognize alphabet letters, or have difficulty in recognizing the sound of letters.]

Latiph also said that the "marungko" (sounding out or deciphering) approach is being used in teaching the children how to read.

A two-day training was conducted to capacitate the parents in various ways of effectively teaching children. After the training, each parent then started to teach five learners for three months.

Salima Armama, one of the parents, shared her experience during the Brigada Pagbasa program. She noted the important role of parents in teaching and guiding their children by helping them read, write and even answer their homework.

“Naramdaman namin kung gaano kahirap magturo sa bata. Kailangan namin mag-guide sa mga assignment, para mas lalong matuto ang bata. Kailangan ng parent na maging parte sa pagtuturo ng bata,” she said.

[We felt how difficult it was to teach a child. We need to guide them in their assignments, for the children to learn more. The parent needs to be part of the child's education.]

World Vision and Dep-Ed Marawi also implemented this program in other schools in the City. (LELA/PIA-10/ICIC)