Legarda seeks to improve K-3 to help fix education crisis

Senator Loren Legarda underscored the importance of passing Senate Bill No. 1853, otherwise known as the K to 3 Foundational Learning and Nurturing Care Act, as a concrete solution in helping solve the Philippine learning crisis.

According to Legarda, the State must strengthen the educational and developmental foundations of children from birth through Grade 3, as this is considered a critical period in learning and development of cognitive skills.

“When students fall behind in the early years, they face mounting difficulties in grasping more complex lessons in higher grades, and many never fully catch up,” Legarda said during her privilege speech on Wednesday, February 25.

“The measure directly responds to the urgent need to strengthen literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional development during the critical years of Kindergarten to Grade 3, so that no child is left behind at the very start of their educational journey and early deficits do not turn into lifelong disadvantages,” she continued.

In her speech, Legarda noted that the K-3 stage is a critical stage that will prepare children for the demands of higher education.

Under the proposed law, the system will adopt a prevention-first strategy, which will ensure the establishment of a foundation, which will prevent remedial lessons later on.

The proposed bill also leans into the usage of high-quality, language-rich, and numeracy-rich instruction early, which will be integrated with socio-emotional learning and values formation.

The move will ensure that children will be literate, as well as able to manage emotions, build positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and navigate challenges with empathy and resilience.

“Let us act with urgency. Let us act with resolve. We cannot allow this crisis to persist,” asserted the four-term senator.

“We cannot allow another generation to be lost. Every year of delay means more children reach higher grades carrying gaps that could have been prevented in their earliest years,” she continued.

“The learning crisis already affects productivity, employability, and social cohesion; addressing it at its roots is a matter of justice and national interest.”

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education and co-chair of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), Legarda has consistently pushed foundational learning as a key cog in her agenda in education reform. (30)

Legarda, nais isaayos ang K-3 upang matugunan ang krisis sa edukasyon

Binigyang-diin ni Senador Loren Legarda ang kahalagahan ng agarang pagpasa ng Senate Bill No. 1853, o ang K to 3 Foundational Learning and Nurturing Care Act, bilang kongkretong solusyon sa lumalalang learning crisis sa Pilipinas.

Ayon kay Legarda, kailangang patatagin ng Estado ang pundasyon ng edukasyon at pag-unlad ng mga bata mula pagsilang hanggang Grade 3 dahil ito ang kritikal na yugto sa pagkatuto at paghubog ng kakayahang kognitibo.

“When students fall behind in the early years, they face mounting difficulties in grasping more complex lessons in higher grades, and many never fully catch up,” paglalahad ni Legarda sa kanyang privilege speech noong Miyerkules, Pebrero 25.

“The measure directly responds to the urgent need to strengthen literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional development during the critical years of Kindergarten to Grade 3, so that no child is left behind at the very start of their educational journey and early deficits do not turn into lifelong disadvantages,” dagdag pa niya.

Ipinaliwanag ni Legarda na ang yugto ng K to 3 ang naghahanda sa mga bata sa mas mabibigat na hamon ng mas mataas na antas ng edukasyon.

Sa ilalim ng panukalang batas, ipatutupad ang prevention-first strategy upang matiyak ang matibay na pundasyon ng pagkatuto at maiwasan ang pangangailangan ng remedial lessons sa hinaharap.

Isinusulong din ng panukala ang maagang paggamit ng de-kalidad, malalim na wika at may pagsasaad sa mga numero na pagtuturo na isasama sa socio-emotional learning at values formation.

Layunin ng hakbang na matiyak na ang mga bata ay marunong bumasa at umunawa, kayang kontrolin ang emosyon, makabuo ng positibong relasyon, makagawa ng responsableng desisyon, at harapin ang mga hamon nang may empatiya at katatagan.

“Let us act with urgency. Let us act with resolve. We cannot allow this crisis to persist,” mariing pahayag ng four-term senator.

“We cannot allow another generation to be lost. Every year of delay means more children reach higher grades carrying gaps that could have been prevented in their earliest years,” patuloy niya.

“The learning crisis already affects productivity, employability, and social cohesion; addressing it at its roots is a matter of justice and national interest.”

Bilang chairperson ng Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education at co-chair ng Second Congressional Commission on Education o EDCOM II, patuloy na itinutulak ni Legarda ang pagpapalakas ng foundational learning bilang sentro ng kanyang agenda sa education reform. (30)