Learning poverty is measured by the proportion of children unable to read and understand a simple text by the age of 10. In the Philippines, 9 out of 10 Filipino children aged 10 years have learning poverty. According to a joint report by the World Bank and several other organizations (The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update), the Philippines is thus ranked the poorest in learning.
Learning poverty in the Philippines had been a significant concern before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic exacerbated existing challenges. Pre-COVID, factors such as inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages, and socioeconomic disparities contributed to learning poverty. However, COVID-19 worsened the situation by disrupting traditional learning methods, widening the digital divide, and deepening inequalities in access to education.
Goducate Academy offered online education to children who otherwise had no access to education during the pandemic. It now operates online not only in the Philippines, but also in Sabah, and even in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Thailand for children of Filipinos working overseas. The lessons can be accessed online, and a weekly Zoom is held with the learners and a monthly Zoom with their moms.
To support mothers in bringing out the best in their children, in September we launched an online community of mothers via Zoom, to help them improve their children’s reading, critical-thinking, mathematical, problem-solving, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and social skills. We also address home, familial, parenting, and child-development issues - such as, shyness, eating habits, tantrums, and more. Mothers in this virtual space exchange tips on best practices to help each other succeed in their motherhood journey.
This online community, which is composed of 5 full-time housewives, also enables us to discover the talents and skills of both the mothers and the children. The mothers are trained in digital literacy and basic online skills such as graphics design and video editing, so that they can facilitate webinars and other programs, and prepare online portfolios, such as learner’s online worksheets and meaningful videos of their children and family. The worksheets and videos are a major part of the program because they form the basis for evaluation of the learner’s outputs, which are shared every Saturday, when the mothers meet online. This is a growing movement, through which mothers get to know more about the strengths and skills of their children, as well as discovering their own potential.
Our guest writer is Joy De Pallo, Department Head of APIIS-Goducate Academy.
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