In response to the country’s alarming learning poverty rate, Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao (Mapúa MCM) has spearheaded a year-long reading intervention program called Project HELP: Help End Learning Poverty at one of their beneficiary schools, Langub Elementary School in Barangay Langub, Ma-a, Davao City.
The bi-monthly learning sessions with Grades 1 to 3 pupils aim to address reading and comprehension gaps that might hinder their understanding of foundational academic concepts.
Learning poverty, or a child’s inability to read and comprehend age-appropriate written texts by age ten, affects about 91%of Filipino children, according to the World Bank’s “Learning Poverty Brief” in 2022. This figure indicates that Filipino children lack the basic skills to gain further learning.
“Since the pandemic, we realized the urgency of a program like this as the Philippines was not ready for remote learning, and the health crisis further affected our learners. Project HELP bridges the gap by gently and consistently equipping students with the skills they need to read at a level appropriate for their age,” said Marycon Delos Reyes, Head of Mapúa MCM’s Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement (CSCE).
Mapúa MCM’s Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) volunteering as an instructor during one of the Project HELP interactive reading classes at Langub Elementary School.
She further explained that Project HELP serves as both a community service initiative and a research project. The institution shall use the program’s data to develop an even more effective remedial and enrichment program, which can hopefully be cascaded to other schools in the future.
Project HELP is an initiative of Mapúa MCM’s Center for Service-Learning and Community Engagement (CSCE), in collaboration with the Office for Research, Development and Innovation, the High School Department, the Office for Corporate Partnerships, and the Human Resources Management Office, under the mandate of Mapúa MCM President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo. The year-long learning poverty alleviation program applies learner-centered activities, teaching methodologies, and educational tools crafted specifically to tap each pupil’s unique learning style effectively.
The 2–hour interactive reading classes included read-aloud activities, educational songs, group readings, and an application portion. Aside from the Project HELP volunteers, Langub Elementary School teachers and administrative officers were on hand to oversee the activities.
The opening program of the Project HELP Culminating Activity with the students and faculty of Langub Elementary School.
About 100 Mapúa MCM volunteers, composed of employees and students, facilitate the sessions held every other week on the elementary school grounds. This effort demonstrated the volunteers’ and the school’s commitment and sincerity in ensuring that every child, regardless of personal circumstances, is given an equal opportunity to learn and thrive.
On top of the school’s volunteers, Project HELP is supported by its sponsors, AY Foundation, PetroEnergy Resources Corporation, VXI Global Holdings, Nickel Asia Corporation, Tats Tees and Print, Patty’s Kitchen, and Smart Communications Inc.
About Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao. Mapúa MCM is located in Davao City, Davao del Sur, and was established in 2015. Mapúa MCM utilizes an instructional approach that combines face-to-face and online learning for its students. In recognition of its commitment to delivering an excellent technology-driven education, Mapúa MCM has been continuously awarded by Cengage for Outstanding Digital Activations since 2019, the Wiley Digital Education Award in 2021, the Anthology Catalyst Award in Teaching & Learning in 2022, and the Anthology Catalyst Award in Student experience in 2023 which recognizes institutions leveraging technology to develop educational and administrative innovations that positively influence the total learner experience inside and outside of the classroom. Mapúa MCM is a part of the iPeople schools, a Yuchengco-Ayala education partnership, providing a first-class education for a century through academically excellent programs in Engineering and Architecture, Arts and Science, Information Science, Business, Health Sciences, and Junior and Senior High School. Mapúa MCM also provides access to international education in Business and Management and Health Sciences through its collaboration with Arizona State University, the most innovative university in the US. Learn more about Mapúa Malayan Colleges Mindanao at mcm.edu.ph.
