Education champions and advocates, and local government officials gathered through AGUBAY Child Protection Alliance Negros to spotlight transformative literacy initiatives, with key speakers underscoring the critical role of local governance, collaboration, and data-driven interventions in addressing learning poverty across communities.
Leading the discussions, Dr. Raul N. Banias shared Iloilo’s successful experience in the devolution and localization of education programs, emphasizing how strong local leadership can significantly improve literacy outcomes.
Drawing from his years of service as Mayor of Concepcion, Iloilo, Banias stressed that the commitment and vision of Local Chief Executives (LCEs) are vital in driving meaningful educational reforms and creating lasting impact in communities.
He also highlighted the strong conviction of Iloilo Governor Arthur R. Defensor Jr. in making education a priority concern of the provincial government, despite education not being a devolved function under local governance.
Banias cited the success of the Proof of Concept (POC) program implemented through the support of Senator Sonny Angara via the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), in partnership with the Synergeia Foundation and other stakeholders. The initiative led to a dramatic improvement in literacy performance in participating schools — from only three out of every ten learners being grade-level ready to nine out of ten learners achieving grade-level readiness.
To sustain and expand these gains, Banias said the Iloilo Provincial Government (IPG) is now scaling up the POC localization through its BES Basa Program and institutionalizing reforms through the creation of the Provincial Education Management Office (PEMO).
Also sharing her municipality’s experience was former Mina Mayor Lydia Grabato, who described learning poverty as fundamentally “a governance issue.” She explained that the local government of Mina utilized the Learners Education Monitoring System (LEMS) to ensure that interventions were targeted, data-driven, and responsive to the needs of learners.
Through these interventions, the municipality significantly improved the number of learners reaching grade-level readiness.
Meanwhile, Dr. Nestor Pingil of DepEd emphasized the importance of collaboration among major stakeholders in sustaining education reforms. He discussed how the Iloilo Provincial Government and the Department of Education (DepEd) jointly co-own and implement both the POC and BES Basa Programs, demonstrating a shared commitment to improving literacy outcomes for learners across the province.
𝑇𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝑅𝑜𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑒 𝐵𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑦𝑎-𝑂𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑜
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