Lampara Books’ educational materials to address literacy crisis

THE LATEST LINEUP of educational materials by local publishing company Lampara Books, developed as a proactive measure against literacy setbacks in the Philippines, has been released. The books are geared towards improving reading comprehension, foundational literacy, numeracy skills, and home-based learning support.

The nation’s literacy crisis informs the lineup. A study published by the Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives revealed that many young Filipino students have advanced to higher primary levels despite struggling with basic reading and math skills.

Through Lampara Books’ new offerings, teachers and parents can help fill the gaps in the education system.

“We’re here. Who else can the government or its citizens rely on for publishers like us who develop books for children?” Segundo Matias, Jr., chief executive officer of Lampara Books, told BusinessWorld at the sidelines of the collection’s launch on March 3.

Every book in the collection was created in collaboration with reading specialists and teachers Victor Villanueva and Daisy Jane Calado, alongside writers like Eugene Y. Evasco and Genaro R. Gojo Cruz, to name a few.

Though the public education system has been coping with education gaps through digital means, Mr. Matias noted that this should not be the approach for children in the K-3 (kindergarten to grade 3) levels.

“Digital has some contribution to K-3, but it isn’t necessarily good. Those levels deal with the basics. If you’re not able to provide the right materials for them in that stage, then they’re already behind,” he explained.

By partnering with key literacy consultants and education professionals, Lampara’s materials meet high pedagogical standards without sacrificing entertainment and fun, it said. For example, its Let’s Read series in English allows students to apply phonics skills in a structured way.

Similarly, its curriculum-aligned numeracy materials aim to improve Filipino children’s math skills. The newly launched books in this category make use of everyday story-based examples such as buying goods at a store or counting change to illustrate the real-world value of mathematics.

DEVELOPING MATERIALS
The latest collection of books and learning materials includes decodable and leveled texts for early readers, integrated numeracy concepts embedded in stories, and supplementary worksheets and guides for teachers and parents.

For Victor A. Villanueva and Daisy Jane Calado, reading intervention specialists and authors of the Magbasa Tayo! and Let’s Read! series, their work with children who are “left behind” resulted in insights on how to help them past learning difficulties and low self-esteem.

“We compiled the materials we’ve been using in our sessions into a deck and reorganized it to come up with a kit,” said Ms. Calado at a panel discussion at the launch. The result was 300 small books, written over the span of three months, for both Filipino and English reading packages.

Mr. Villanueva added that these books are sulit (worth it) because of how they combine “expository story elements and basic reading,” which invite children to decode words and gain confidence as their comprehension improves.

Meanwhile, Eugene Y. Evasco, who wrote Lampara’s new collection of Filipino Board Books, told the press that it’s important for toddlers to have something to see and read that’s grounded in their own culture.

“The imagery in our science books is always from other countries. The book industry should really develop more materials for children that are suited to the Philippine context,” he said. Thus, the 15 board books he made are distinctly Filipino in content.

“Makikilala nila ang sariling bansa sa kabundukan ng Sierra Madre, na ngayon nasa panganib, at sa istorya ng mga kalabaw at ng estado ng agrikultura (they will get to know their own country through the mountains of Sierra Madre, which are now under threat, and the story of carabaos and the state of agriculture),” Mr. Evasco explained.

Instead of Filipino children learning about cardinal birds, oaks, and pine trees, they will be able to get to know the native maya bird and the makahiya plant.

Mr. Matias told BusinessWorld that localization can help children actually comprehend what they’re learning.

“There’s something called functional reading or comprehension. If it’s low, it means they can read, but they cannot really understand it,” he said. “That’s what we want to improve.”

He also encouraged parents to do their part. “Find time to really read for your child, because reading is very important. Findings say that kapag mahilig magbasa ang isang tao, madaling maka-solve ng problema sa buhay (if one likes to read, they can solve life’s problems more easily).” — Brontë H. Lacsamana