Briones rebuffs report that 70,000 Bicol learners ‘can’t read’

Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Monday took exception to a newspaper report said more than 70,000 elementary students in Bicol could not read in both English and Filipino.

Briones called report “exaggerated.” She said not knowing how to read was different from being illiterate.

“Hindi ibig sabihing no read, no write kasi may mga kategorya iyan, eh. Nakakabasa pero hindi lubos na nakakaintindi. So iba’t ibang level iyan,” Briones told reporters in Malacañang. 

“At saka iyong number siguro na 70,000, medyo exaggerated iyan dahil hinalo iyong nahihirapan sa Filipino, nahihirapan sa English tapos umabot sa 70,000 kung saan iyon nanggagaling,” she added.

Briones said the article was an “insult” to Bicolanos as she appealed to the media to be careful when interpreting data.

“Palagay ko, insulto naman iyon sa mga Bikolano dahil one of their schools, iyong Partido State University eh ang taas ng rating,” Briones said.

The regional director of the DepEd in Bicol used the term "struggling readers" when he reported on the problem earlier this month.

"Something about 76,000... those non-readers, struggling readers," Gilbert Sadsad said, adding that this number covered learners from Grade 1 to senior high school.

"Most of the divisions ay nagla-launch na ng response sa hamon na ito... Bawat school nagka-craft sila ng intervention programs," he added.

Sadsad said that in line with the goal of  making every child a reader, the DepEd-Bicol has already launched the "Bawat Batang Bicolano Bihasang Bumasa" program.

Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI)—to which the figure was attributed—was a diagnostic tool or a pre-test at the beginning of the school year to identify students in need of intervention.

"PHIL-IRI is not a single test for grades, but tests distinct at every grade level to assess against reading proficiency expected for the grade level," Sevilla said.

Early this month, President Rodrigo Duterte approved measures to address gaps in the education system after Filipino students scored poorly on a global assessment program.

The measures included reviewing and updating the K-12 curriculum, improving the learning environment, retooling the knowledge of teachers and engaging stakeholders for support and collaboration.

The 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results showed that 15-year-old Filipino students scored a mean of 340 points in the reading comprehension exam, which was below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average of 487 points.

The Philippines also lagged behind in Mathematics and Science, ranking second to the lowest.  —NB, GMA News