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Aspiring Parañaque City 2nd district congressman Brian Raymund Yamsuan is prodding government to make the country's education system "future-ready” by invest an initial P500 million to computerize public libraries and barangay reading centers.

Yamsuan, currently a representative of Bicol Saro Party-list, said modernizing public libraries and reading centers should also include providing free and reliable internet access to users of these facilities. 

Reading centers and public libraries should be equipped with the  latest electronic library system for storing, cataloguing and filing of materials, said the former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) assistant secretary.

On top of  providing each public library and reading center with a complete standard set of reference books  and other materials as mandated under Republic Act (RA) No.7743, these facilities should also have access to e-books and online research resources, he added.

“Despite the digitalization wave, public libraries remain relevant as a readily accessible source of information especially in marginalized communities where students can hardly afford to buy books or mobile devices,” Yamsuan said. 

“Modernizing these facilities using the latest electronic library systems and providing them with reliable internet connectivity is a must to help make our education system future-ready,”  added the solon. 

Yamsuan urged Education Secretary Sonny Angara to coordinate with the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to help accelerate the digitalization of public libraries and reading centers nationwide. 

“This will help realize the  Department of Education’s (DepEd) goal under Secretary Sonny Angara to provide every Filipino child, no matter where they are, the opportunity for learning, growth and success,” Yamsuan said. 

In his end-of-school year message, Angara said addressing the ongoing classroom shortage, hiring more personnel, accelerating digitalization, enriching career pathways, and implementing policies that lead to lasting systemic improvements are among the reforms that his department will implement to achieve this goal and make the country’s education system future-ready. 

Yamsuan said the budget of the  NLP, which provides support services to public libraries and reading centers, should be increased by P500 million per year until all cities and municipalities are provided and have full access to electronic library facilities.

For its part, the DICT can assist in providing the technology and digital access to computerize public libraries through its Technology for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurs, and Economic Development (Tech4ED) program, Yamsuan said. 

Yamsuan said the Philippines should follow  the example of Singapore, which has allocated funds to expand and revitalize its public libraries to continue  cultivating the  love for reading and  learning among its citizens. 

In the current 19th Congress, Yamsuan has co-authored House Bill (HB) No.1798, which seeks to amend RA No.7743 to include provisions mandating the allocation of P500 million to the NLP budget each year for the procurement and installation of the latest electronic library technologies in all city and municipal libraries and barangay reading centers.