Read to lead

Nanay is a retired public school teacher. When I was young, I would always see her ferociously doing her lesson plans. I admired Nanay’s practical intelligence, hard work and dedication to her profession. Nanay inculcated in me the importance of reading and getting a good education. I am grateful to her for allowing me to discover through reading worlds beyond the baselines of this tiny, lonely planet where I met kings and queens, fairies, gladiators, angels and demons — and Jack and Jill, Rapunzel, Cinderella and Goliath!

Today, as a reading advocate, I laud the untiring efforts of Sa Aklat Sisikat (SAS) Foundation in its vision to build a nation of readers. SAS is a non-profit professional Philippine organization that promotes the love and habit of reading in Filipino children. SAS works with public schools around the country and provides resources to motivate Grade 4 students to make reading a part of their daily lives.

Why Grade 4 students? According to the Department of Education, Grade 4 students have made the shift from learning to read to reading to learn. The students do not have difficulty in decoding words and sentences anymore. They can now appreciate the written word and read independently. SAS aims to develop lifelong readers by capturing every child’s interest and imagination at this age, helping them discover the great rewards and sheer pleasure of reading.

Sa Aklat Sisikat was established in 2001 in partnership with Petron Foundation. It has been cited by UNESCO as “a well-thought out and well-funded reading awareness promotion (program).”

SAS is a very timely and worthy undertaking since the state of the public education system in the country is currently facing a crisis. A large part of our students has limited access to learning opportunities. Public schools lack necessary funds to build classrooms, buy new and updated textbooks and even teachers are in short supply. However, evidence shows that reading significantly improves an individual’s analytical and creative thinking skills, boosts academic performance and raises self-esteem.

I was recently invited to the Petron Gurong Kaakbay Conference. A Gurong Kaakbay is a public school teacher specially chosen to participate in Petron Programang Kaakbay which was implemented in partnership with SAS Foundation. The program was launched in 2005 to nurture topnotch teachers beginning with a select group of participants from the National Capital Region.

Petron Programang Kaakbay offers special training sessions for Gurong Kaakbays. If you are selected as a Gurong Kaakbay, the program will not only make you more effective in the classroom but also in school-based reading activities that you can help facilitate for your students and fellow teachers.

Let us now build a nation of readers starting with the youth. Increased literacy is passed on from one generation to the next and encouraging reading today means building a nation of readers for tomorrow.

Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, Inc. is located at 35/F Petron Megaplaza 358 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City. For details, call 886-3888 loc. 3523 or 3525.