Bookworm to Caterpillar
By: Sophia Angela B. Brusas
Does A E I O U still ring a bell, or the bell will be permanently on mute? On a 2023 student
assessment the Philippines ranked on the bottom 10 out of 81 countries for reading comprehension
on the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). For the past years, it has been
the most challenge face by the country of students’ low performance on reading and writing skills.
The ability to read and understand a passage is the foundation for a successful endeavor in life.
Imagine all the students at a young age with difficulty in reading comprehension awaits for them
in the upcoming years. On January 12, 2024, the Department of Education (DepEd) has recently
launched a program called “Catch-up Friday” that promotes learners to read short stories every
Friday to improve their reading skills. They believe that this will serve as a new learning strategy
and will address the existing learning gaps in reading. Catch-up Friday is currently implemented
in different schools from different regions in the country, will this be enough to resolve the big
problem in Philippines education?
Sara Duterte the DepEd secretary has finally prioritized Filipinos education and come up
with a sensible plan, have spoken to just give the Catch-up Friday a try if it will succeed and will
help those learners having difficulty in reading. Establishing a designated time for reading will
allow the teachers to identify those readers who are open for improvement and guidance. Having
a whole day dedicated to reading only will slowly widen a student's capability to understand and
comprehend. This can develop a routine on learners that every end of the week they get to read
different stories. It has been five Fridays passed since the implementation of the program, with the
reschedule of school calendar isn’t this too late to address the country’s problem in reading
comprehension considering that the end of school year is fast approaching.
As the Philippines rank in reading comprehension will continuously settle at the bottom,
the more children are struggling to climb and strive for their dreams. The Catch-up Friday has been
the first attempt of DepEd to end a crisis that has been consistent for how many years. As per Sara,
just give it a try and I believe this move is a step that will lead Philippines education onto the right
direction. Teachers should be advised to be involve in assessing students and check upon their
notable improvements. If teachers show full support on the program this will catch the students’
attention and inspire to fall in love with reading.
As the school year ends, I hope this program will continue and prosper in the succeeding
school year. Surely this isn’t enough, but this will be small steps to a long and foggy route on
strengthening students reading skills. It would be great if the Department of Education can come
up with a particular curriculum that focuses on reading proficiency and literacy, this will surely
ring the bell harmoniously.