Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte underscored the importance of books and other reading materials, saying these “can change lives” of young learners.

“Through books and other related and relevant reading materials, we want to change the lives of our learners. This is a strong assertion of the role of books in our lives as individuals and as a nation,” Duterte said in her speech on Friday during the Philippine Book Festival here.

Duterte said the Book Festival is more than a gathering of the finest book writers, book readers and collectors, illustrators, agents, and publishers.

“It’s a celebration of the infinite areas of learning that may be accessed by turning the pages of a book,” she said.

Duterte said the event exemplifies the National Book Development Board’s dedication to Filipino students and aims a spotlight on the “achievements of everyone” in the Philippine publishing industry.

“The importance of your work is something that we cannot overemphasize — and the same can also be said about the significance of the books authored by people who have dedicated their lives to the profession and advocacy of sharing their expert or academic knowledge with others, giving inspiration to others, or entertaining others through their stories—fiction or nonfiction,” the Vice President said.

Duterte also drew comparisons to the MATATAG Curriculum of the Department of Education (DepEd), which puts great emphasis on basic competencies, including writing, reading—and comprehension.”

“Over the past few years, we have seen a painful decline in the ability of our young learners to read and write,” she noted.

The MATATAG Curriculum is a revised and improved version of the K to 10 program. It aims to correct the previous program’s flaws that affected the learners’ writing and reading skills—contributing to learning losses.

“Our direction is not only for our learners to possess the power of writing and reading—but, most importantly, for them to value this power as it could help them navigate life successfully,” Duterte said.

DepEd’s campaign necessitates rekindling the learners’ interest in the written word through reading books and other materials that could ignite their curiosity, give space for their creativity, and nurture their intellect, she said.

She also lauded the works of the homegrown authors, illustrators, publishers, and honors the legacy of the literary pioneers. (PNA)