The Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is proud to launch “Wikaharian,” a new series of video lessons to promote reading and numeracy within the context of Filipino identity and culture.
This project is under the “Culture Appreciation through Videos in Beginning Reading,” initiative of the NCCA and Deputy Speaker and Antique Lone District Representative Loren Legarda. It is the commission’s first endeavor into integrating arts and culture content into subject areas like reading and writing. It is also supported by the Department of Education.
The series, hosted by teacher Michelle Agas and her puppet friends from the Quezon City Public Library, is set inside the Bahay Aklatan. Eighty videos were produced with matching session guides. Meant for Grade 1 students, these videos present lessons and stories through Filipino experiences and traditions, songs, narrations, illustrations, instructional materials, and animation.
“These video lessons come at a critical time as we face many challenges in improving the quality of basic education in our country. ‘Wikaharian,’ is an important step in helping children learn to read and instill among the young learners the awareness, the appreciation, and pride of Filipino traditions beliefs and values,” noted KFCI President and Executive Director Rina Lopez-Bautista.
The project will also benefit teachers and parents who may access these learning materials on knowledgechannel.org, or offline through the Knowledge Channel’s portable media library.
“By focusing our efforts on the foundational skills of early reading and numeracy, we can prepare our children better not only for international benchmark tests, but more importantly for life. A solid foundation in the early years will help them take on more complex concepts,” Lopez-Bautista continued.
Legarda, meanwhile, shared that artists and their works are ways of contributing to the world. She noted that an educational show like this displays support for the young generation and their abilities. It further teaches them to love their country, instill pride in their identity, shape their values, and understand their innate Filipino creativity.
“The arts introduce the youth to a wealth of outlooks, different perceptions, different ways of understanding life and the world. They broaden the intellectual horizons and their capacity for feeling, making them open to cultural differences.” Legarda finally imparted.
“Wikaharian” will premiere on the Knowledge Channel on January 4 through SkyCable, their YouTube channel, knowledgechannel.org, GSat, SatLite, and the Philippine cable and Telecommunications Association. The learning materials can be accessed through the website, or offline through the Knowledge Channel’s portable media library.