Name: Catherine Cayetano

Year & Course: IV-BEED

PAGASA SA PAGBASA

( Dukomentaryo ni Kara David )

Reading is very important to every person because it is where a person's

learning begins. This is important because people gain knowledge and wisdom about
things in the world beyond that, people get a lot of information through reading.

Pag-Asa sa Pagbasa is a short documentary film by Kara David and is one of the
episodes of the I- witness program of GMA Public Affairs, GMA Network which aired
last September 1, 2018. This tackles the alarming issue encountered in Sauyo National
High School in Novaliches, Quezon City wherein students enrolled in grade 7 and grade
8 cannot read properly. It also features the real- life stories of two students – Louie and
Jack, who were both “slow readers”. Further, this gives a great perspective as it reveals
the reasons why and how did those students passed and graduated elementary even
they didn’t know how to read/or write and cannot understand or comprehend the
lessons.

In the initial scenes we see the inside of a classroom where the teacher teaches writing
the alphabet, pronouncing and spelling words, and teaching color. But we do not know
that these students are not in elementary school but in secondary or high school. These
students are from Section Darwin of Sauyo High School. These children are in the
seventh grade, but it is surprising why they entered this grade without even knowing
how to read and write. One of these students is Louie Cayosa who is twelve years old. It
was difficult for him to read and write but his teachers always passed him until he
entered high school who didn't know much about reading and writing. This documentary
also showed Louie's life after he left school. Instead of being able to study, he trades in
the garbage dump to earn money and help his family. And when he returned to their
house, he wanted to ask his mother for help but was ignored and not focused too much.

On the other hand, teachers also expressed their grievances when it comes to teaching
children. Among them, the increasing number of students in a classroom becomes a
reason for not all children to focus on teaching. As well as the part of a parent in
focusing and maintaining their children's studies. They also paid attention to one of the
education systems where the quality of a teacher's teaching depends on the grade of
the children and this becomes the measure of their income and to raise the level of the
school. So some of them are forced to pass the children even though they have not
really learned anything. But despite all this, there are still teachers who are loyal to their
duty and do everything they can to help their students.

An example here is the fifteen-year-old Jack Perol who is only in the eighth grade who
is often ridiculed because he is not very good at reading. This is probably because
when he was in elementary school, he often missed class because his parents had
nothing to pay for, so he was eventually left until he reached high school, unable to read
and write. But because of his desire to learn and because of the support of his family
and teachers, Jack can now read and write.

Many of us are struggling in life so we often give up on education. So there are many
poor people who do not know how to read and write. When I watched Kara David's
documentary titled "Pagasa sa Pagbasa", I realized how late they are in the flow of life.
At Sauyo High School, there are students in Grade 8 like Jack who can't read. Because
his parents often had nothing to give him, Jack used to miss his classes and was
eventually abandoned. So until he reached high school without being able to read and
write. But because of their desire to learn and also because of the support of his family
and teachers, he decided to take the right path in education. The question now is, is the
Department of Education not implementing "No

Read, No Pass Policy?" But why does the school ignore or pass those like them "non-
readers" and "slow readers?" Now, who should be blamed for why they reach high
school without being able to read and write? To the teachers, to the poverty, to the lack
of support from the parents or to their own desire to learn? It is painful to think but the
reality has revealed to us the importance of the attention of the teachers to their
students and being social. my observation is usually with teachers why they pass the
students "non-reader and slow reader". Because they don't want responsibility, add to
the work and don't pay attention. I don't blame all the teachers, but this is what I see
because I am also an elementary school teacher. We know that elementary school is
the foundation of children to cultivate the right minds to write, read and various
concepts. As a teacher, I can also blame my fellow teachers, parents, determination to
learn and hardship . Because of this many children do not yet know how to read and
write. The government's education department is implementing to promote the "No read
no pass policy". Due to the increasing number of "illiterate" children. As a teacher, our
responsibility to teach is a burden on our shoulders. We are the children's second
parents. It is said that one of the greatest professions in the world is teaching. Not only
because the future of the children they serve depends on the hands of the teachers,
because it also requires a strong and deep determination to implement the nationalistic,
humanitarian and godly teaching of the youth of the modern age. generation. In this
documentary, everything is possible if the child has the determination to learn. Because
the problem of reading is not just a problem of a child or a school, it is a problem of the
entire education system. Reading is the foundation of knowledge, how can you learn if
you don't even memorize the alphabet. But it doesn't mean that passing on the child
before he's ready can be a solution. Because passing is different from giving hope.