(Isinusulong sa Kamara) COMPUTERS SA PUBLIC LIBRARIES

ITINUTULAK sa Kamara ang isang panukala  na naglalayong amyendahan ang batas sa pagtatayo ng community libraries at barangay reading centers upang matiyak na “digitally equipped” ang mga ito para suportahan ang sektor ng edukasyon, lalo na sa gitna ng pandemya.

Sa House Bill 10622,  ipinanukala ni Antique Rep. Loren Legarda ang pag-amyenda sa Republic Act 7743 na isinabatas upang isulong ang moral at intellectual well-being ng mga Pilipino sa pagpapataas sa literacy rate sa pamamagitan ng pagtatayo ng public libraries at/o reading centers.

“The immense need to ensure that the country’s public libraries and reading centers are sufficiently equipped to tackle the mounting concerns in the education sector especially during this time of pandemic comes in the wake of reports by both local and international individuals and organizations citing the declining access and quality of education,” ayon kay Legarda.

Idinagdag ni Legarda na base sa batas, “the number of public libraries and reading centers should reflect the number of villages, municipalities, cities, provinces or congressional districts in the country.”

“However, based on a 2018 report, there are only 1,455 public libraries of which only 40 percent are active,” aniya.

Itinatakda rin ng panukalang batas ang pagbuo ng development council ng bawat lungsod o munisipalidad upang matiyak na ang kanilang library centers at/o reading centers ay may latest technological equipment na kinakailangan para sa pagkakaloob ng electronic library services.

“The Covid19 pandemic has amplified the need to provide accessible learning materials to our educators and students alike. There is a need to equip public libraries with latest computer and electronic library facilities to make sure that Filipino students have access to a wide variety of up-to-date learning materials,” dagdag ni Legarda.