By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
c. Basic Education Research Fund (BERF) researches showing that non-readers and frustration level readers proliferate in high school. Given the K to 12 Curriculum grade level standard that learners read in English with comprehension by Grade 3, each non-reader and frustration level reader from Grade 4 onwards is a proof that the DepEd is practicing mass promotion.
Being action researches – DepEd defines an action research as “a process of systematic and reflective inquiry to improve educational practices or resolve problems in the classroom or the school” –, the participants in BERF researches on poor literacy in high school are currently enrolled reading laggards. BERF action researches are conducted by DepEd teachers themselves.
The BERF was established through DepEd Order No. 24, s. 2010, in compliance to the DepEd’s mandate to conduct “national education research and studies” “which can become part of the basis for necessary reforms and policy inputs” (Chapter 1, Section 7 (5) of Republic Act No. 9155). Per DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2015, the annual allocation per region in 2015 was P2 M.
As of 2024, BERF researches on poor reading literacy in high school which titles were recorded in the websites of DepEd regional offices numbered at least 75 including the following researches 11 on non-readers:
• “A Phenomenology on the Coping Mechanisms of Non-readers in Science Text: Towards a Five-Support System Reading Intervention in Word Recognition” (in the junior high school in the Andres Bonifacio Integrated School in Mandaluyong City) (BERF FY 2018, DepEd-Mandaluyong City Division Memorandum dated June 22, 2018).
• “Mabisang Interbensyon sa Pagpapaunlad ng Kasanayang Pagbasa sa Filipino ng mga Mag-aaral
sa Ikalabindalawang Baitang” (BERF FY 2019, DepEd-Cagayan de Oro City Schools Division Memorandum No. 225, s. 2020). The abstract published I n the Cagayan de Oro City Schools
Division Basic Education Research Book of Abstracts, Volume 5 No. 1 2020 stated that after the conduct of the action research, there were no more non-readers among the 34 respondents.
• “Utilization of Scrabble Games for Reading Proficiency Among G7 Non-reader Students” of Lawaan NHS, Western Samar (BERF FY 2019, DepEd-Region 8 Regional Memorandum No. 000306, s. 2021)
• “The Children Who Were Left Behind: Lived Experiences of High School Non-readers” (BERF FY 2020, DepEd-Region 8 Regional Memorandum No. (unreadable), s. 2021 dated November 22, 2021)
• “Team Teaching and Morphological Awareness: Its Impact on the Reading Enhancement and Vocabulary Acquisition of Grade 7 Non-readers in the Quinapondan NHS” (BERF FY 2020, DepEd-Region 8 Regional Memorandum No. (unreadable), s. 2021 dated November 22, 2021)
• “Reading Remediation Workbook for Grade 7 Non-readers and its Effect on their Word Decoding Skills” (BERF FY 2021, DepEd-Region 12 Region Memorandum PPRD No. 22, s. 2021)
• “Improving Reading Skills of Non-readers and Struggling Readers Using Word Study” (Cabangan National High School) (BERF FY 2022, DepEd-Zambales Division Memorandum SGOD-2022-015)
• “Project ‘Agapo’: A School Bridging Program for Grade 7 Non-readers” (BERF FY 2023, DepEd-Region 11 Regional Memorandum PPRD-2024-004)
• “Project READ – Read, Enjoy and Develop: A Multimodal Reading Remediation for Grade 10 Non-readers” at the Binan Secondary School of Applied Academics (BERF FY 2023, DepEd-Binan City Division Memorandum No. 240, series of 2023)
• “Utilizing Project HELPS (Help, Enhance Learning through Phonemes and Syllabaries): A Reading Program for Non-readers” in the Binan Secondary School of Applied Academics (BERF FY 2023, DepEd-Binan City Division Memorandum No. 240, series of 2023)
• “Reducing Grade 9 Non-readers in Binan Secondary School of Applied Academics by Utilizing Project WRAP (Whole Language Reading Advancement Program)” (BERF FY 2024, DepEd-
Binan City Division Memorandum No. 158, series of 2024)
The 75 BERF action researches on reading laggards in the secondary were located in 12 of the 17 regions. The regions with no studies were Regions 1, 4-B, 5 and 6 and ARMM. The undersigned notes that the NCR, CAR and Region 4-A which are in the top 4 in reading in the 2018 and 2022 PISA are among the regions with BERF action researches on high school reading laggards which means even the leading regions are affected by the practice of mass promotion.**To be continued
