Security Bank’s corporate social responsibility arm, Security Bank Foundation, Inc. (SBFI) is launching the Ready, Set, Read! video series for elementary students in partnership with the Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. and Ateneo De Manila University, as part of its advocacy of improving the quality of education and filling the educational gaps brought by the pandemic.
The first five episodes set to air from January 19 to February 19, 2021 will focus on enhancing the reading competencies of Grade 5 students particularly on inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words in stories through context clues. The topics chosen are based on the Department of Education’s Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) Guide which focuses on the indispensable competencies that Filipino learners must acquire, especially with the challenges of learning delivery during this pandemic.
“Uplifting the quality of life in communities where Security Bank has a presence is the goal of Security Bank Foundation. We aim to achieve this by providing quality education through scholarships for deserving students, building and donating classrooms to accredited public schools nationwide, training the teachers of our beneficiary schools to help them improve their teaching skills, and developing new initiatives through digital learning resources. Through these efforts, we hope to provide better opportunities for the succeeding generations of Filipinos and a brighter future for the communities Security Bank serves,” says Rafael F. Simpao, Jr., Chairman of Security Bank Foundation.
The three organizations collectively chose English Reading competencies as the subject matter of the educational materials after the reports of the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) showed that Filipino students lag behind other countries in terms of reading proficiency.
“Our partnership with Security Bank Foundation and Ateneo comes at a time when video lessons have become fundamental in ensuring that learning continues even amidst any calamity or pandemic. This video series will also provide Filipino children with English reading proficiency that will prepare them to succeed and thrive in a globally-connected society,” says Rina Lopez Bautista, President and Executive Director of Knowledge Channel Foundation.
“Ateneo welcomes this opportunity to work with Security Bank Foundation and Knowledge Channel Foundation in ensuring an effective teaching-learning process even during the unusual circumstances surrounding education at this time,” adds Dr. Carmela Oracion, Managing Director of the Ateneo Center for Educational Development.
To help educators and parents understand how these videos can be used as effective teaching tools, a free webinar will be organized on January 15, 2pm. Teachers and parents can use these videos for free to enhance children’s reading skills in the comfort of their home and eventually as integral teaching materials once classes return to face-to-face.
The pilot run consisting of 5 episodes will be aired on Knowledge Channel from January 19-28, 2021 every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (11:20-11:40 am), A2Z Free TV Channel from January 22 to February 19, 2021 every Thursday (8:20-8:40 am). The said episodes will also be available on Security Bank’s Website at https://www.securitybank.com/sustainability/educational-videos and Facebook page at https://facebook.com/SecurityBank.
To know more about Security Bank and Security Bank Foundation, you may visit www.securitybank.com/Sustainability.