A decade of advocating literacy in the Philippines

The year 2017 marks a decade of Scholastic’s partnership with Philippine schools in the Assessment & Enrichment Program (AEP), a research-backed literacy program that strengthens balanced literacy instruction, equipping students to be proficient readers and raising them to be life-long learners.

To celebrate the 10th year of AEP and to pay tribute to Scholastic’s dedicated education partners, the fourth Scholastic Readers Cup awarding ceremony was held at the Rizal Ballroom of the Shangri-la Makati last August 23.

School administrators, teachers and librarians were treated to a sumptuous buffet, exciting raffle prizes, and top-notch entertainment by premiere vocal ensemble The CompanY and by the multi-awarded crooner Richard Poon.

Frank Wong, President of Scholastic Asia, said in his welcome remarks that “ Scholastic is proud to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the AEP, a program that seeks to nurture a good reading habit among the Filipino students.

Thanks for the hard work of our partner schools over the years,  Read Aloud has become a regular part of reading instruction, and pleasure reading has become a habit for many children. "You should all be very proud of what you have accomplished in your schools. As literacy champions in your schools, you have truly opened a world of possible to your students."

Scholastic Executives, headed by Wong, Chito Morales, Country Manager; and Fritzie Cruz, General Manager, presented the awards to the top 10 schools that bested 160 schools in terms of readership.

These schools achieved the highest average of number books read with quizzes passed by their students for school year 2016-2017. The top 10 schools are the following : (1) Stonyhurst Southville International School Batangas (99 books read per student), (2) Stonyhurst Southville International School Malarayat in Batangas (96 books), (3) Holy Cross College of Calinan in Davao (87 books), (4) Nuestra Señora de Guia Academy in Valenzuela (86 books), (5) Immaculate Conception School of Baliuag (81 books), (6) Iloilo Scholastic Academy (80 books), (7) Saint Mary's Angels College of Valenzuela (74 books), (8) Saint Joseph College of Rosario, Batangas (67 books), (9) Scuola San Giuseppe Marello in San Pablo City (65 books), and tied at number 10, Mother Goose Special School System, Inc. in Dagupan City (63 books), and Casa Del Niño Montessori School Ciudad de Calamba (63 books).

Benedictine International School and Uno High School, Scholastic’s education partners in the Philippines since 2007, were given the Scholastic Pioneer Award.  New Era University - General Santos City Branch was awarded the Readers Cup Rookie Award for their success in rallying reading on their first year of partnership with Scholastic in AEP.

The most prestigious award, Scholastic’s Winners Circle Champion was received by St. Paul College Balayan, represented by its School Principal, Sr. Norma Michaela Que, SPC.  Since the 2014 Readers Cup, St. Paul College Balayan has been reaping awards for their students’ outstanding performance both in terms of readership and of reading achievement.

Going on its fifth year, the Scholastic Readers Cup continues to inspire school administrators, teachers and librarians to lead in their schools’ transformation towards a community of readers and learners. Scholastic’s partner schools have proven that it is possible and it is worthwhile to raise today’s children, as avid readers who grow in creative wonder, in hope, and in a world of limitless possibilities.

And as Scholastic continues to lead in advocating literacy around the world, it promises to make AEP even better – more comprehensive, more systematic, and more relevant to the Philippine schools that have made Scholastic their trusted education partner.

For more information on Scholastic’s education initiatives, visit www.scholastic.asia or its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ScholasticAsia.