The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday launched a comprehensive strategy to counter undernutrition and boost foundational literacy, following the simultaneous hot meal distribution and reading campaign in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija.

The twin initiatives serve as the agency's frontline response to mitigating the effects of hunger on classroom engagement and cognitive development among young learners.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara led the supplemental feeding program at the Pantabangan National Child Development Center in Barangay Villarica in anticipation of the Nutrition Month in July. Serving as an operational model for early childhood education and nutrition services, the facility currently accommodates 37 enrolled learners.

Complementing the nutrition drive, the DepEd contingent proceeded to Marikit Integrated School in Barangay Marikit to spearhead a literacy campaign for Kindergarten to Grade 3 learners.

Angara led the distribution of age-appropriate storybooks and school bags filled with learning supplies to 193 learners on the campus, which has a total enrollment of 466 learners.

The storybook distribution is part of a massive nationwide project targeting over 6.8 million young public school learners. The special provision of bags and classroom items was funded by the Office of the President to directly support early childhood education.

During the school visit, Angara also engaged tutors from the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program in a dialogue to assess the school's implementation of the learning recovery framework.

The early literacy initiative focuses on the Kindergarten to Grade 3 transition, guiding children from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" new concepts.

While leading publishing partners donated curated titles promoting reading comprehension, numeracy, values formation, environmental awareness, and life skills, DepEd shouldered the printing and reproduction costs.

The simultaneous projects showcase the government’s holistic approach to elevating academic performance by systematically addressing physical hunger and resource gaps at the same time. NEIL ALCOBER