LRMC and Binhi English Literacy Foundation partners up to improve education in the country
One of the main factors in determining the progress and success of a country is through the youth’s literacy rate. Among Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines has the highest literacy rate at 97.5 percent for those aged 15-24, a report by the United Nations reveals.The importance of education and literacy cannot be denied. Based on plan UK, several research prove that basic reading and writing skills potentially lifts individuals out of poverty, improves the development of communities, empowers women, positively impacts economic growth, and reduces infant mortality rate.
In more recent news on literacy in the country, the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) has announced a new partnership with Binhi English Literacy Foundation, a non-profit and non-governmental organization, to aid struggling children in learning to read and write. This is to keep up with LRMC’s advocacies of supporting nation-building through various initiatives.
Through the partnership, a Grade 2 class from Marcelo Marcela Elementary School in Pasay City will be adopted. A six-month learning program designed to aid children struggling to read and write at a relatively advanced age, the Beginning Reading Program, will also be supported for academic years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Said program aims to keep the children in school by improving literacy skills, to foster a love for reading and improve comprehension skills, and to inculcate a penchant for learning that will inspire them to do better in school, subsequently improving their economic situation.
The components of the curriculum include teaching tools,—modules, activity sheets, and various school supplies—pre-, mid-, and post- test assessments, student monitoring, as well as lesson plans input, evaluation, and recommendation. It has also been modified and maximized for the online and modular learning setup required by the Department of Education (DepEd) given the pandemic situation.
“This English literacy support is a greatly needed intervention program for our struggling readers. The effective strategies and learning kits provided by Binhi and funded by LRMC will surely bring the pupils’ much-sought enhancement in their English and reading skills,” says Marcelo Marcela Elementary School principal Norma P. Jamon.
“At LRMC, we value learning and support an open culture where we are after developing our team members to reach their potential. In the same light, we are glad to help young Filipino children achieve their fullest potential and overcome learning challenges through our partnership with Binhi English Literacy Foundation. All of us can make a difference in whatever work we do, and this is our way of supporting the next generation by inculcating the value of education,” explains Jacqueline Gorospe, LRMC head of corporate communications and customer relations.
Binhi English Literacy Foundation is an NGO founded in 2008 to help out-of-school children and students who are at risk of not completing their primary education due to absence of learning support in their homes and communities. Inspired by PRATHAM, an NGO in India which was responsible for helping more than 21 million underprivileged children, Binhi designed an intervention tool to improve reading and comprehension skills to achieve its vision of “Every Filipino Child in school and learning well.”
LRMC is a staunch supporter of education, spearheading previous initiatives such as the partnership with the PLDT-Smart Foundation’s GabayGuro program in celebration of Teacher’s Month every year.