A LOCALLY driven education reform program in Iloilo has significantly improved the reading proficiency of Grade 3 students, raising performance levels from 30 percent to 90 percent in just one year.

During a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) commended the Iloilo Provincial Government for the success of its pilot initiative aimed at addressing learning poverty among young learners.

The program was implemented through a proof-of-concept partnership involving the provincial government, the Synergeia Foundation, and the Department of Education.

Rolled out across 11 municipalities, the initiative sought to address the alarming situation in which seven out of ten Grade 3 students were unable to read at their expected grade level.

The reform effort was led by Arthur Defensor Jr., governor of Iloilo, and Milwida Guevara, president of the Synergeia Foundation.

Defensor stressed that addressing the learning crisis required mobilizing the entire community.

“Sa problemang ito we need to engage the whole community. So dito, we engaged the local government units. We did this together with the DepEd and the community,” he said.

Under the program, Iloilo adopted a whole-community approach that extended beyond the classroom by involving local mayors, barangay leaders, teachers, and parents.

The provincial government funded the initiative and tapped its top educators to develop specialized reading modules and workbooks. These materials enabled parents and community volunteers to conduct one-on-one tutoring sessions with students both in schools and at home.

Guevara said the program’s success was anchored on five key reforms in the way education initiatives were implemented locally.

These included transforming local chief executives into “education mayors” and “education governors,” reforming local school boards to allow broader stakeholder participation, and promoting participatory governance through regular consultations and education summits.

The initiative also emphasized data-driven decision-making, allowing mayors to monitor real-time reading proficiency data and assess the impact of their education investments. In addition, the province maximized local resources by enabling teachers and parents to develop training manuals and learning modules through peer mentoring.

EDCOM 2 co-chairperson Bam Aquino highlighted the significance of the Iloilo model and the crucial role of local leaders in addressing the country’s education crisis.

“Mahalaga siguro to to really look at this proof of concept and see how we can roll it out kasi nasa crisis level na tayo eh,” Aquino said.

He added that improving education should not rest solely on the Department of Education.

“Parang si DepEd lang yung may responsibilidad to fix this problem and that’s not true. The local chief executives and the national government should be there,” he said.