READING REVOLUTION: Gatchalian Eyes National Rollout of Iloilo’s Reading Program

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Senator Win Gatchalian is advocating for the nationwide implementation of Iloilo’s Proof of Concept (POC) literacy initiative to address the growing gap in reading proficiency among elementary learners.

This comes after the local government-led program showed promising results in improving literacy, particularly among Grade 3 students.

The POC is a pilot program launched by the Iloilo provincial government in partnership with Iloilo City and 11 municipalities.

It focuses on devolving basic education responsibilities to local government units (LGUs) and strengthening foundational literacy through targeted interventions and data-driven strategies.

Based on pre- and post-intervention assessments, Grade 3 students in the experimental group significantly outperformed those in the control group.

Iloilo Board Member Jason Gonzales reported that 50% of students in the experimental group answered 90% of a 50-item reading test correctly, achieving an average score of 87%.

This reflected a statistically significant improvement in reading performance.

Only 2% of learners in the experimental group continued to struggle, answering just 4 out of 10 questions correctly.

These students will be enrolled in remedial reading programs as part of the initiative’s next phase.

Since its launch in January 2024, the program has distributed reading workbooks to 6,828 Grade 3 learners in Iloilo City and 8,880 learners across the municipalities of Pavia, Mina, Batad, Guimbal, Cabatuan, Igbaras, Leganes, Lemery, Maasin, Sara, and Barotac Viejo.

Gatchalian, who co-chairs the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), said Iloilo is setting the right example with a research-based intervention.

“It’s also important for us to look at the data because this is where we can really see what is happening to our education system in our own localities,” he said.

The senator said the program is a viable model for nationwide adoption.

“We will study this. We will see if we can implement it in the next few years. There’s no timetable yet, but definitely, there’s potential. Since there are positive results in Iloilo, then it should also be implemented nationwide,” he added.

He acknowledged challenges in replicating the program, such as differing priorities among local leaders.

Gatchalian emphasized that while education remains the Department of Education’s primary responsibility, LGUs are in a unique position to lead localized education reforms.

“Mayors have political persuasion, they have moral persuasion, and they have financial persuasion. They have a budget,” he said.

He added that education should not only be a shared responsibility but also an accountability of LGUs.

The city and provincial governments are now aiming to expand the reading program to Grade 6.

Mentor teachers will guide learners and provide intensive remedial support for struggling students.

The devolution model will also be scaled up to cover all municipalities in Iloilo and assist other LGUs interested in piloting the education model.

The local government also plans to address non-academic barriers to learning, such as student hunger and lack of materials at home.