VICE President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio reiterated the crucial role of reading literacy in building a good foundation of lifelong learning when she attended the Brigada Pagbasa Summit held at the St. Mary’s College in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.

“This school year, the Brigada Pagbasa national movement for reading became even more relevant as we transitioned to face-to-face learning and strived to recover the learning loss due to school closures during the pandemic,” Duterte told education stakeholders.

The reading campaign, she added, complements the after-school reading program launched under the administration of Secretary Leonor Briones.

Duterte lauded the initiatives of the schools division to upgrade the reading literacy of schoolchildren. The initiatives include Project Aklat, Aba, Kada Pagbasa, and Catch UP Program for Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic (Cup for 3Rs).

“I was truly appreciative sa nakita ko sa ginawa ninyo para sa inyong kabataan dito sa probinsya ng Eastern Samar dahil nandyan kayo para tulungan sila na matutong magbasa because that is the foundation of what I said earlier— lifelong learning and that education will lift them out of poverty,” she said.

The Education chief thanked teachers for implementing programs aimed at resolving difficulties in reading. She also expressed gratitude to parents, local government leaders, barangay officials and Sangguniang Kabataan leaders and civil society organizations “for helping us improve the reading proficiency of our learners.”

“The tagline, ‘Sama-sama, tulong-tulong sa pagtataguyod ng kultura sa pagbasa’, is a testament to the Filipino’s Bayanihan spirit, where community members contribute by promoting a culture of reading and helping inculcate a growth mindset among Filipino children and youth,” Duterte-Carpio said.