Learning Loss , Aggravated by Pandemic

No: 55-03

September 7,2022

"The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn , the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss

I love reading but honestly i can't remember how i started to read letters or words during my early years. Mom was a busy single working mom so it's understandable that she can't spare some time to teach us coz she's busy to make a living for us. But i vividly recall how comics was a common reading materials during those times. How it helped us a lot in practicing our reading skills. How reading comics influenced our generations to love reading short stories.

We were able to keep track of our favorite stories may it be drama , comedy or action series . Neighbors are exchanging different comics series to avoid buying the same copy. Then during my teenage years , pocketbooks are introduced and began it's trend. Newspaper was sold every morning and my granny used to buy one everyday . If you don't know how to read you won't be updated with the latest news or chika about your favorite artists coz not everyone has access to television. Reading was a part of our daily lives not just inside the classrooms. It was our way of entertaining ourselves.

Aside from playing outside , climbing trees, taking a dip in the river , reading was included in our daily past time...Reading was a part of our childhood ,when we can't go out due to rain we resort to reading. But how about now? What happen to our children of today?

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According to UNICEF /World Bank joint report - Among the 122 countries ,schools in the Philippines during the covid surge had the longest closure. More than 70 weeks while the global average was a closure of 20-21 weeks. The report also found that fewer than 15 percent of 10-year-olds in the Philippines could read a simple text. 9 out of 10 Filipino children struggling to read simple texts by age 10.

It was a saddening truth that prior to covid pandemic there was a pre-existing problem in our country in dealing with our educational or learning backlogs. It was a very challenging task for our leaders to address the problem. There are learning backlogs prior to covid that should be address and one of their solution is ALS or the implementation of Alternative Learning System wherein out of school youth or those who stopped schooling due to various reasons can go back to school where they left of through the program. An effective measure i believed.

The covid pandemic aggravate the pre-existing problem. The problems arises but we have no choice but to deal with it. Department of Education is currently struggling on how to effectively deal and find solutions to it. Our country is included in the list of having a Learning Poverty according to World Bank .

• Being unable to read and understands simple texts by age 10.

• Brings together schooling and learning indicators.

• Begins with the share of children who have'nt achieved minimum reading proficiency ( as measured in schools) and is adjusted by the proportion of children who are out of school ( and are assumed not able to read proficiently).

There are many factors affecting the learning system in the country. Lack of resources , shortage of classrooms, materials for learning and of course poverty and other personal factors and hindrances.

It truly sadden me how most of the children of the unprivileged are turning this days. Access to a quality education seem so far and unreachable for them. I belong to the poor but still fortunate to have complete meals throughout the day that i don't have to spend much of my time to look for our food just like the other. I still have time to teach my youngest whose into Grade 1 the basic of reading or probably be better on it in the coming days that schools cannot focus on coz of many students or learners that needed much of their attention.

Students from the poor and low income families are greatly impacted by the pandemic . Learning loss should be address accordingly and it would'nt be easy and can be solve in a short period of time . It will take long as there was a pre-existing one that is being taken care of and the present one that should be face at the same time thinking of the future on how to effectively learn and adapt to our modern world. It will be a challenging task for our leaders and for us parents as well.

There are lots of catching up to do. Reality should be face and we as parents has an important role in it. I don't want my kids to suffer in the long run. I should continue to allot time to teach my son the importance of reading and reading itself as well. Reading with comprehension and understanding. I know how hard it is especially for working parents but we can't just rely on their Teachers to teach them everything in school. All of us should work hand in hand in dealing with their learning loss. Let's start to teach them with Reading , as it will greatly help them in the process of learning more skills.

Let us all fight learning poverty. Learning begins at home. Let's do it! As we learn a lot here @Read.Cash by reading , let us mold our children to like reading too and soon be part of this community to continue to learn and hope for a better future. An almost 100,000 thousand members here are a good numbers to know that reading is indeed a good habit that could bring us hope and continuos learning.

Thank you for reading.

Lead image from Unsplash. Photos are all mine.

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