MARAWI CITY (PIA)--Literacy is a powerful tool against poverty. One of the objectives of the Childhood Rescue Project is to assist its partners in developing and contextualizing tools that can identify struggling learners on the ground according to their literacy and numeracy levels.
Teachers and school officials from Marawi City and Cotabato City participated in the LITeracy, Diagnostic And Proficiency Assessment Tool (LIT-DAPAT) and Numeracy Assessment Tool Training in Davao City to ensure that the literacy development programs and initiatives that World Vision provides to children are responsive to their needs and are relevant to their context.
Geomel Jeotonzo, BRIGADA PAGBASA Program Director and Education Technical Program Manager of World Vision emphasized the significance of equipping the children and partners with essential life skills that can help them become productive and protected individuals.
“This training is very important to the Childhood Rescue Project because we believe that education is a very important platform in equipping our children, specifically literacy because there is research that tells us that one of the reasons why children and even adults fall into the trap of abuse is because they are illiterate. Some of them are even signing or agreeing to some agreements that they did not understand because they do not read so,” said Jeotonzo.
One of the participants, Anida M. Ma-amor, School Reading Coordinator of Cadayonan Elementary School in Marawi City, shared her experience during the training program.
“This training unlocked so many possibilities for us teachers in molding the children for their brighter future through applying and implementing the various strategies and techniques learned by the teachers. Such as the BRIGADA PAGBASA where the application of FLAT in determining the child’s capacity to read is tantamount to help. The knowledge and skills learned from making one’s big book using Bloom’s wherein the authors are highly advised to use their own mother tongue language to ensure retention of values and beliefs even when teaching reading," she said.
Another participant, Ma. Jessica M. Balbado-Brigole, a teacher from Cotabato City, expressed her gratitude to World Vision as this training provided her with the knowledge to further enhance her skills in diagnostics and reading material development.
She said, “Thank you so much World Vision for fueling this change that is coming in our nation. Thank you for letting us be equipped with enough competencies for us to serve the Bangsamoro youth in our community.”
Overall, the program has been a success, as it has equipped its partners with the necessary knowledge and skills to help learners improve their literacy and numeracy skills.
