City officials requested the Department of Education–Cordillera Administrative Region (DepEd-CAR) to conduct a study or research on the actual status of English proficiency among students in the city.
Under Resolution No. 099, series of 2023, city legislators stated that the issues and concerns on the English reading comprehension of students need further verification as to their correctness and exact data to be effectively and efficiently addressed upon and that these were considered by the city council members and resource persons as a challenge for all to continue working together for the improvement in the quality of education in the city and the whole region.
Earlier, resource persons from the DepEd-CAR, City Schools Division and the Federation of Parents Teachers Association discussed the issue on the alleged low reading comprehension of high school students during the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The basis of discussion were the information from the proposed resolution taken from the website of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies (PIDS) about learning issues, particularly in English proficiency among students in the elementary grade and secondary level in the country, including the city, and from reports that only 4 of every 10 kids aged 9 to 12 years old in the city can properly read and write in English based on a 2021-2022 performance survey by the education department in the city.
Further, the body also requested the DepEd-CAR to come up with a whole assessment on the educational system in the city and to provide suggestions and recommendations on how to effectively and efficiently address issues that may emerge to ensure that the quality of education will not be compromised, especially for the present generation of the youth.
However, education officials informed the local legislators that the reading comprehension of students have significantly improved since the resumption of face-to-face classes which started in August 2022 to date.
