A total of 639 school heads and Public Schools District Supervisors (PSDS) from 27 local government units (LGUs) have been trained under Iloilo Provincial Government’s BES BASA: Proof of Concept (POC) Localization Program, equipping education leaders to use the Oral Graphic Symbolic Language (OGSL) method in teaching reading.
The training was conducted in four batches in July and August, with each batch undergoing a three-day intensive capacity-building program, in partnership with the Department of Education–Schools Division of Iloilo.
Through the Training of Trainers (TOT), participants are being prepared to cascade the OGSL method to teachers, particularly those handling Key Stage 1 learners, and provide coaching and support in actual reading instruction.
“The BES BASA: POC Localized Reading Program has a simple and clear objective. To make every learner a reader at grade level and one of its most important pillars is capacity building,” said Freda Fajardo, chief of the Provincial Education Management Office (PEMO) and team leader of the Provincial Education Core Group (EdCore).
“In the past years, we focused on training teacher-trainers. However, as implementation progressed, we recognized that training alone is not enough. We saw the need for stronger support, guidance, and follow-through from school leaders and supervisors,” she added.
Fajardo said the involvement of PSDS and school heads is anchored on shared responsibility and accountability.
With school leaders now equipped with the OGSL approach, the focus shifts from training to actual classroom implementation.
“The success of BES BASA will ultimately depend on what happens inside the classroom. Our school leaders must also be equipped to understand and apply the Oral Graphic Symbolic Language (OGSL) Method for foundational reading. This will enable them to effectively guide and coach teachers, monitor learner progress, and ensure that struggling and non-reading learners receive timely and appropriate intervention,” said Fajardo.
Following the training, participants are expected to develop work plans and conduct orientations and capacity-building activities for teachers, with support from their respective LGUs.
“The LGUs have an important role in sustaining the program, particularly in allocating and managing resources for capacity-building activities for educators and other program stakeholders,” Fajardo said.
The next steps include monitoring the rollout across participating LGUs, conducting a homegrown assessment, and distributing teachers’ guides and learners’ worksheets.
The OGSL method is designed to strengthen foundational reading by connecting oral language with visual and graphic representations, giving beginning and struggling readers a structured pathway toward understanding written language.
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