To curb learning poverty, LGUs should prioritize ECCD, boost basic skills --- group

To establish foundational skills and boost the learning capacity of young Filipino learners, an advocacy group on Saturday, June 10, called on local government units (LGUs) to invest in early childhood care and development (ECCD). (PBEd file photo)

“It is critical that we build basic skills while they are young as these will make them better learners,” said Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) Executive Director Justine Raagas. “The skills acquired by our learners during the early years will help shape their future,” Raagas said. “The success of many of our education programs, such as K-12, can only happen if we give our children the best start,” she added.

Why ECE is crucial

PBEd underscored the importance of early childhood education (ECE) in nurturing foundational skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic, which has been emphasized by the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). This after data from 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics showed that the Philippines ranked as the second-worst in the Southeast Asia region in terms of reading and math skills among Grade 5 students. Unicef underscored that ECE not only prepares children to participate in primary education and beyond but also mitigates the risk of school failure. “It is also at these stages when children are developing strong social and emotional skills that eventually contribute to their soft skills which are needed in the workplace,” Raagas explained.

KLT program

PBEd recently completed its Kiddie Learning Train (KLT) program which corroborates the importance of ECCD. The program, in partnership with Accenture, Enuma, Department of Education (DepEd) Region 7, and LGUs of Cebu and Himamaylan, sought to help at least 1,000 underperforming pupils from Cebu and Himamaylan by providing them with tablets and gamified learning apps and enlisting volunteer tutors. The KLT results showed that laggards of Grades 1-2 from Cebu had a 122 percent increase in reading scores and 33 percent increase in Math scores; while Kinder 1 and 2 pupils from Himamaylan increased their literacy skills by 233.3 percent and numeracy skills by 507.1 percent. PBEd Deputy Executive Director for Programs Bal Camua explained that KLT was born out of the recognition that the country “faces significant challenges” in education. “Low literacy rates persist, with Filipino children struggling to read simple texts by the age of 10,” Camua said. “Malnutrition and lack of proper daycare support continues to hinder the growth and development of our young ones,” he added. PBEd led the culminating activity of the program in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental on June 2.

Bridging learning gaps

To push this initiative on a national scale, PBEd expressed support for Senate Bill No. 150 or the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act to bridge the learning gaps through formative assessments that will help tailor instruction to the unique learning needs of students. “We’ve seen in the program’s implementation the benefits of having tutors or para-teachers in bolstering performance of learners while alleviating the workload of teachers,” Raagas said. “We hope to institutionalize the KLT program and encourage other LGUs to champion learning remediation initiatives for child care such as this in their communities,” she added. Meanwhile, Raagas urged education stakeholders to not lose focus on the vital problems in the implementation of education policies that need to be addressed. “Let’s start with a strong focus on ECCD, as it lays the foundation for a solid educational experience for our children,” she said. Raagas also enjoined the local and national government to “harness the resources available from the private sector” especially in implementing evidence-based and effective practices in early childhood education and initiatives promoting learning recovery. RELATED STORY: [https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/29/ph-education-in-crisis-1](https://mb.com.ph/2023/5/29/ph-education-in-crisis-1)