Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic in Reading Comprehension of the

Grade 12 Humanities and Social Sciences students in Capas National

High School Senior High School

INTRODUCTION
This paper analyzes the effects of COVIS-19 Pandemic in reading comprehension
of the students. On 26 March 2021 a new study was released by the UN cultural agency,
reveals that more than 100 million children are falling behind the minimum proficiency
level in reading, due to COVID-related school closures. These numbers are way higher
than the expected numbers of children lacking in basic reading skills.
According to the study from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) One year into COVID; Prioritizing education recovery to avoid a
generational catastrophe, even before the pandemic the number of children lacking basic
reading skills was on a downward curve. In 2020, instead of 460 million children
experiencing reading difficulties, that number jumped to 584 million. The rise of more
than 20 percent, wiped out two decades of education gains, the agency said.

On 27 November 2022 Philstar global released a headline stating “Government urge

to boost learnings’ reading proficiency.”
MANILA, Philippines – The government should prioritize programs and interventions
that would improve Filipino learners’ proficiency in reading, amid the celebration of
National Book Week from Nov. 24 to 30, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said.

It was also mentioned that in the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA), the Philippines scored lowest in Reading out of 79 countries that participated.
Results of the PISA further showed that only one out of five Filipino learners aged 15
achieved at least the minimum proficiency level in Overall Reading Literacy. The results
of the 2019 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics, on the other hand, showed that
only 10 percent of the country’s Grade 5 learners achieved the minimum proficiency at
the end of primary education.
According to Tarlac City School Division on August 2021, a program called
“WEBINAR-WORKSHOP ON PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES IN TEACHING
READING IN THE NEW NORMAL” was done.

Pursuant to DepEd Order No. 012, s. 2020 which states that DepEd shall employ
multiple learning delivery modalities to ensure the continued provision of learning
opportunities and DepEd Order No. 173, s. 2019, Hamon: Bawat Bata Bumabasa, this
Office shall conduct the Webinar-Workshop on Pedagogical Approaches in Teaching
Reading in the New Normal on August 26, 27, and 31, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. via
MS Teams.

The activity aims to provide varied learning opportunities to learners in this new normal
setup, through digitizing the learning activity sheets from elementary to junior and senior
high school. To Develop Video Lessons and Lecture Transcripts in English, Filipino, and
MTB/MLE: and Capacitate teachers on digitizing learning materials and making lecture
transcripts.

The Researchers decided to do this study to disseminate knowledge about the current
status of the student’s reading comprehension. Studying the effects of the pandemic on
reading comprehension skills will shed light, Ultimately, this research will contribute to
creating effective strategies and support systems that ensure students.