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November 23, 2021 – The Department of Education (DepEd) shared that the Reading Progress Tool has reached more than 23 million learners and 950,000 teachers during the virtual launching of the 2021 National Reading Month last Monday, November 8.

“Through the Reading Progress tool, learners can record their own reading progress and gain a sense of independence in reading. Teachers can track the reading progress of students easily and efficiently,” Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado San Antonio shared.

“I am convinced that if we can all work together to ensure that every child becomes a reader, we will be able to sustain quality efforts in easier ways. A wide and avid reader explores the world of knowledge on his or her own, so let’s make the youngsters excited to read,” he added.

Spearheaded by the DepEd Curriculum and Instruction strand through the Bureau of Learning Delivery (BLD), the nationwide celebration of the Reading Month aims to promote love for reading among learners and the whole school community.

BLD Director Leila Areola emphasized that it is imperative for schools to ensure that all learners understand the importance of reading and to foster in them the inspirational power to read.

With the theme, “Bawat Bata Bumabasa sa Kabila ng Hamon ng Pandemya,” the month-long celebration features the conduct of innovative reading activities such as the Dugtungan Pagbasa, where young learners from different selected regions showcase their creativity in story reading and the Reading Cup, a gamified reading contest aimed at assessing the reading fluency level of students from Grades 7 to 12 using the Reading Progress tool.

“This Pambansang Buwan ng Pagbasa [indeed] serves as a reminder to us in the light of our performance in [the] national and international assessment tests that we must double our efforts to close the learning gap particularly in the area of reading. It is considered the cornerstone of learning,” Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones shared.

One of the highlights of the activities was the capacity-building on storytelling, which was held concurrently with the virtual launch to empower teachers, parents, and learning facilitators and featured techniques from established writers and professional storytellers.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Philippines Public Sector Director Joanna Rodriguez emphasized the company’s commitment to supporting DepEd’s literacy goals by creating programs and tools that help learners in developing their reading skills.

Other activities include Reading Ambassadors, in which accomplished and enthusiastic storytellers read to learners nationally awarded stories about family, friendship, and love; the Reading Challenge, which enjoins DepEd staff to read a book weekly; and the Araw ng Pagbasa Challenge, which serves as the culminating reading activity, encouraging everyone to pause synchronously for at least 15 minutes to read.

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