Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, is thinking of creating a bill that will ban smartphones in all basic educational institutions in the Philippines. The goal is to remove distractions and help students focus on learning and revive the habit of regularly reading books.

Gatchalian is also thinking of filing a bill to create a National Reading Month, set in November of every year.

Related

In a statement, the senator pointed out that a lot of children have become hooked on using their cellphones inside the classroom within school hours — an observation that, he emphasized, was also made in other countries.

He added that, instead of reading books, students are busy watching YouTube and TikTok.

“Pinag-aaralan ko ngayon yung i-ban na yung sa mga bata lang, yung paggamit ng cellphone sa loob ng classroom at sa loob ng school hours,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian said that the proposed law is only for basic education students and the ban will only apply during school hours.

As for the National Reading Month proposal, Gatchallian is proposing that children be required to purchase a book that they should finish reading. The goal is to encourage children to start reading books again.

“Lahat ng mga ahensya na may kinalaman, at mga institusyon, tumulong na maghikayat na magbasa ang bata… yung mga bookstores hinihikayat nating magbigay din ng discounts, kasi kailangan ding bumili ng libro,” the senator said.

Former Komisyon ng Wikang Pilipino head Dr. Virgilio Almario backs the proposal.

“Dahil ang nangyari, ang reading ay naging compulsory lang… pagka-reading na, kailangang inuutos ng titser. Kaya paglabas ng eskwelahan, hindi na nagbabasa ang mga bata. Nagkaroon ng phobia sa reading at sa libro,” said Almario.

However, Almario pointed out how books can be expensive and not always available or accessible to some, and sometimes use language that can be challenging to understand. These are issues that, if failed to address, will never produce a “reading public.”

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda has asked the Department of Education to put school libraries with books that children can easily access.

Jerico Silvers, a writer and publisher, said that he chose to tackle the issue of mental health in his books to reach readers and is urging the public to choose books over vlogs or blogs.

Via: ABS-CBN News

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *