Empty Desks: Our Grade 1 Pupils Can No Longer Read

by: Rowena Joy Flores

The pandemic has left the ghost of lost voices in school quadrangles. The new building in the once-unoccupied garden at the back follows the standards of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2020 school building design to accommodate the K-12 learners. The classrooms are open but there is a problem: The chairs and desks are empty.

In the heart of the small provincial town of Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya, the local Diadi Central School (DCS) in Barangay Poblacion is accessible to teachers, parents and everyone who is allowed to go out. It is accessible to everyone, except the learners who need the school the most. In the absence of interaction with teachers, some grade one students are struggling with how to read. When the fundamental skills to become independent learners are not being properly developed in the children’s early stages, what should we expect from the pupils we will welcome into higher years of education when face-to-face classes resume?

In an interview with some of the elementary teachers of DCS, the subject of what they call the PARDOs came up. Apparently, PARDOs stands for “Pupils At Risk of Dropping Out.” They use this term to refer to pupils who do not know how to read or even identify the sound of letters.

Grade one Teacher Bella Dewey has 29 pupils but she has only met some of them through the messenger app because the teachers have not yet gone out for visitation because of the pandemic. Yet, not even halfway through the semester, she can already identify three PARDOs.

“Sa modules, hindi sila yung nag-a-answer,” she said.

(In the modules, they are not the ones answering.)

She gave the tell-tale signs of a PARDO. She said that PARDOS cannot follow the standard blue and red lines in writing notebooks. They cannot identify the sounds of written words. She added they can count orally but in written form they do not have a “mastery of numbers.”

“Kahit hindi ko nakita yung bata mahahalata ko sa modyul,” she said. “Kasi pagsulat palang ng ‘2’ eh wala na.”

(Even if I don’t see the child, I can tell by their modules. Because they cannot even write ‘2’.)

She demonstrated by drawing the number ‘2’ in the air backwards.

She added that there are no problems when the PARDOS are asked to count orally, but they cannot identify sounds and syllables of alphabet letters. They have trouble when facing letters and numbers in written form.

The class in general

Although she can easily point out who the PARDOs were, Dewey admitted that it is hard to gauge who among her pupils have already mastered reading.

“Yung mga nahihirapan talaga, they need help na matututukan. Sila yung pina-prioritize namin ngayon,” Dewey said.

(Those who are having difficulties, they need help in guidance. They are the ones we are prioritizing now.)

She recalled her encounter with one of her pupils, who was brought by a mother to her this semester.

“Alam niya yung ‘a,e,i,o,u,’ kaya lang pag sa syllables na wala na,” she said.

(She knows her ‘a,e,i,o,u,’ however when it comes to syllables she does not know.)

The teacher arranged stacks of modules when she expressed her irritation at having to print modules. She is eager to teach children how to read.

“Oo, ihahabol ko dun kasi pag nakabasa na sila, it will go na pag binigay mo na yung Filipino babasahin na nila, alam na nila. Ang gagawin mo nalang pag meron silang hindi maintindihan, edi i-clear mo nalang sa kanila,” she said. “Para makahabol sila sa reading kasi aanhin mo yung turo nang turo kung wala yung reading nila?”

(Yes, I will rush that because when they already know how to read, it follows that when you give them the Filipino readings, they will know what to do. The only thing I have to do when there is something they do not understand is to make things clear to them. It is so that they can catch up with their readings because what good would it do if I keep teaching them but they can’t even read?)

No PARDOs but retention

In the same school, grade one Teacher Yollanda Ballogan had just finished evaluating a pupil’s reading ability. Her class does not have PARDOs, but Teacher Yolanda Ballogan is sure that she will have pupils who will retain.

“Wala kasing mass promotion ngayon eh. ‘No read, no move’ ngayon, unlike last year na may mass promotion. Pero ngayon pwede nang mag retain pag hindi nakakabasa,” she said.

(There is no mass promotion now. It is ‘No read, no move’ now, unlike last year when there was a mass promotion. Now, we can retain (pupils) if they cannot read.)

The mass promotion refers to the promotion of pupils and students to a higher year level despite poor academic performance. Based on a report in the senate, in the first quarter of last academic year, there was a 99% passing rate for Filipino learners even though there were many cries because of the difficulty in adjusting to the remote learning setup.

Ballogan sees their lack of familiarity with the sounds as a reason why the children are having difficulties in reading.

“Importanteng malaman mo yung sounds para sa blending. Hindi ka talaga makabasa kapag hindi mo alam yung sounds,” she said. “Para silang mga kinder talaga.”

(It is important to know sounds for blending (blended learning). You cannot really read if you do not know your sounds. They are really like kindergarten pupils.)

She added that out of her 35 pupils, there are only around 10 pupils whose reading abilities she is sure do not require guidance from parents or tutors. She knows because she monitors their reading skills by meeting them with their parents in school, virtually, and sometimes, even personally visiting them.

She added that they can read sounds but not many syllables. “Dapat meron pa rin yung mama nila,” she said.

On the part of parents

Ballogan also cited how the availability of parents can affect the learning outcomes of their children.

“Talagang magreretain ako ngayong year, kasi meron akong mga magulang na hindi pumupunta, na hindi kumukuha, na hindi religious yung pag ano ngay pagbalik at pagkuha ng module,” she said. “Tapos yung mga bata ganun din. Hindi pa sila nakakabasa ng kahit ano man lang na syllable.”

(I will really have to retain (some pupils) this year, because I have parents who do not come, do not get, are not religious in bringing back and taking the modules. Then the children are also like that. They cannot even read any syllables yet.)

She adds that most parents are not able to concentrate on teaching their children.

“Kasi naghahanap-buhay din naman sila. Meron din yung mga OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) ang magulang, syempre kumukuha sila ng tutor. Sila siguro yung pwede, pwedeng magsarili,” Ballogan said.

(Because they also have to work for a living. There are pupils whose parents are OFWs, they avail tutors. Probably they are the ones who can, can read on their own.)

She contrasted the situation between parents who can afford tutors and those who cannot: “Pwede na silang magsirili kasi siyempre two or thrice a week na pinupuntahan ng mga nagtututor sa kanila. Unlike sa mga magulang na nagtatrabaho, syempre unahin muna nila yung pagkain nila bago sila magpabasa, tapos pag uwi nila sa gabi pagod naman na sila.”

(They can read on their own because their tutors teach them two times or thrice a week. Unlike with parents who work (locally), of course they would prioritize their food before teaching their children to read, then when they get home at night they would be exhausted.)

Plight of parents

Honeylette Tagaro spends one hour a day with her daughter, Maria, answering her modules.

"Pagtuturo sa bata talaga mahirap. Isang oras lang pag tutulungan ko kasi may baby pa ako," she said.

(Teaching children is really hard. I can only help him for one hour because I have a baby to look after.)

At times, she asks her husband to take over and teach her daughter. She said that it adds to the burden when children cannot concentrate on their modules.

“Nakatutok siya sa paglalaro pag nag-aanswer kami ng module," she said.

Of all the things that are hard to teach, she cited teaching her how to read is the most difficult part. She manages to teach Maria, but she cites that this was not the case with her cousin whose child is classmates with her daughter.

“Yung pinsan ko, mahirap siyang turuan ang anak niya kasi ayaw niyang magbasa,” she said. She also said that her cousin would scold the child when the child refuses to read.

(My cousin, her child is difficult to teach because her child does not like to read.)

Zenaida Ganggangan is another parent who finds it difficult to teach her daughter how to read. She allots two hours everyday to teach her child but her daughter has yet to learn how to read on her own.

“Mahirap na ngayon kasi hindi alam masyadong magbasa. Tapos, yung pati akong parent, di ako rin marunong magturo,” she said.

(Now it is hard because she cannot read that much. Then, even as a parent, I do not also know how to teach.)

Her goal for each day is to at least finish two or three modules with her daughter.

Catelyn Buiguis is also in the same situation. Her child is able to identify sounds of letters and syllables but is unable to read without guidance.

She sits beside her child and reads with him. “Tinatabihan po namin kasi may alphabet sila… then kasama niya akong nagbabasa,” she said.

(We sit beside them because they have an alphabet… then I accompany him/her when reading.)

The system

Unable to visit their pupils, what some teachers do, instead, is to ask the parents to send videos of the children doing their performance tasks in a messenger group chat. But even this remedy can only go so far, because not all parents have gadgets that enable them to submit proof of their children’s outputs online.

Dewey presents the parents who can’t send videos an alternative. She asks the parents to come to school and bring their children so she can assess the children’s progress. However, even this option is not an always-viable solution.

“Yung iba di na pumupunta. Reason: bawal pa ang mga bata,” Dewey explained.

(The others (parents and children) do not come. Reason: the children are not yet allowed (to go out.))

This has been the case for some parents because of the fluctuating alert levels and restrictions of quarantine in the town. Still, even when Diadi is placed in General Community Quarantine (GCQ), small children are not allowed to go outside their homes.

If the situation becomes better, they are set to go out once the second semester starts.

On a larger scale

Grade two Teacher Marisel Domingo puts the problem into perspective: “Andaming mga pupil ang grade three na di pa marunong magbasa.”

(There are many grade three pupils who do not even know how to read.)

From what Domingo said, there are already cases where pupils are promoted to higher education because the setup in this pandemic requires grace.

This, unfortunately, is not a case unique to Diadi. A news report from Rappler showed that in Zamboanga Sibugay, grade two pupils are not able to "identify letters in the alphabet."

According to the same report, the results of the DepEd's provincial reading readiness test among lower grades in Zamboanga showed that there are many pupils who cannot read. The Zamboanga Sibugay schools division curriculum implementation head Evelyn Importante even cited the case of one grade two class wherein only one of the 15 pupils can read letters.

In the normal face-to-face setup, pupils are taught to identify sounds of letters and syllables in the kindergarten stage. This involves writing the letters of the alphabet. All of which are in accordance with the Language, Literacy, and Communication domain of the DepEd curriculum for kindergarten pupils.

It is in the grade one level where they are taught how to read and write words, enough to form coherent short sentences. They are also expected to demonstrate correct grammar and develop vocabulary appropriate for their grade level.

However, the pandemic introduced setbacks to the learning process of many Filipino children. The curriculums intended for them are no longer being followed. And with the mass promotion last school year, it is evident that many children who are promoted to higher grade levels have already strayed from their respective curriculums.

A learning reset

The Pandemic has affected the learning outcomes of many children, especially those situated in less fortunate areas.

According to the World Bank (WB), the "learning poverty" has increased to 90% in the Philippines. Learning poverty refers to the number of 10-year-olds who are unable to read basic text.

The WB's data showed that only 9% of children engage in remote learning in households where parents or guardians have no educational background. The percentage rises to 16% in households where parents or guardians were able to take primary education. The same statistic is true for cases where parents or guardians undertook secondary education. However this is still about three times less than the 40% rate in households where parents and guardians undertook tertiary education.

A press release from the World Bank (WB) cited a study in Sao Paulo, Brazil showed that children who were promoted to higher grade levels when the schools were closed retained the same learning level they had before the schools shut down. It showed that a month of school closure is also a month’s worth of learning lost.

In the Philippines most of the schools have not opened for one year and nine months. Subtracting vacation months since the start of the lockdown, the majority of the student and pupil population have already spent around 17 months without face-to-face classes. Going by the results of the study from Brazil, the children are considered to be on a learning hiatus for 17 months. Put simply, many Filipino students and pupils lag 17 months behind their supposed learning levels.

With some schools and universities considering the possibility of hosting limited face-to-face classes next semester, the question remains: How long do Filipino children have to wait until every one of them resumes learning?

Remedy

Dewey discussed her concerns with a colleague. She is considering group teaching as an alternative solution to at least remedy her pupils’ lack of reading proficiency once they are allowed to go out and have a limited face-to-face gathering with their pupils.

She explained that in group teaching, they would gather around four to five PARDOs in an area and lead them to a set place to teach them how to read.

For now, they settle for virtual monitoring, asking parents to come to evaluate children who do not have gadgets for virtual monitoring, and personal visitation when they can.

In the last quarter of this school year, the grade one pupils will have eight subjects to deal with. Dewey can only give guidance and advice to parents. She had given them copies of the alphabet and syllables.

“The best advice namin sa mga parent ng grade one… Iyan lagi ang itututok niyo sa kanila. Kasi pag alam na nila iyan, alam na nila magbasa hindi na ninyo kailangan sila na yung laging binabantayan,” she said. “Kung hindi nila maintindihan, that’s the time lang na papasok kayo.”

(The best advice that we can give to parents of grade one pupils… Concentrate on teaching them that. Because if they already know that, they already know how to read you would not need to always guide them. When there is something they cannot understand, that's the only time you should interfere.)

XXXX