We need books so we can learn how to read...

As a young boy, I loved to go to the library and borrow books. Now that I'm older, I go to the bookstore and buy a book.

In one of my trips here in Mindanao, I felt so sad to see what sort of books we offer to kids in the rural areas.  Oh yes, the library had books, but most of it were text books that were already old and obsolete. The head teacher told me that these books were up for burning once DepEd has inspected it. (I was wondering why they need to burn it instead of just recycling it).

The library didn't have a single story book or those books with pretty pictures for kids to marvel at.  What they had were text books that the students had to share year after year!

If these were the books in the library, and these were the same books used by teachers to educate their students, just think of what sort of knowledge we are feeding the minds of our children in the rural areas. 

At least the head teacher painted the library and placed all sorts of newspaper cut outs on the wall. At least there was some effort on the part of the teachers to put on some more visual materials.

The teachers were so happy when we brought along some story and activity books that day we visited them.  But these were not enough.  But the teachers got all excited about it anyway.  It was better than the ones they had.

If this was happening in one school, what about the rest of the public schools in the rural areas?  The head teacher told me that books were not just their problem. They also needed classrooms! The library was actually used as a classroom.  But they also used the barangay's multi-purpose hall and converted the stage into a classroom.

I guess I was very lucky that I did not experience what they were experiencing.  But what about these kids that were not getting enough from our education system?  More should be done, but how?  We can't blame it all on the government. But perhaps if we act and do some more than just pay lip service, we can probably help solve it.