Inquirer, Baguio renew INQskwela partnership

PARTNERS Baguio City school principals witness the signing of the INQskwela partnership between Baguio and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Among the signatories (seated from left) are Baguio Schools Division Superintendent Soraya Faculo, Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Inquirer national sales manager Roy Raul Mendiola, and sales manager for classifieds Adela Mendoza. —MARK RYAN MONTES/BAGUIO CITY MAYOR’S OFFICE

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The city government and the Inquirer Foundation on Wednesday signed their third memorandum of understanding (MOU) to continue implementing the INQskwela program for its third year, as local education officials credited the initiative as one of the contributors to significant improvements in reading proficiency among Baguio’s grade school students.

The renewed partnership extends INQskwela, a program that combines reading and media literacy to help students develop critical thinking skills and distinguish facts from disinformation. The program offers partner schools access to the InquirerPlus app—the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s digital version—so this can be used by students and teachers as a supplemental learning material.

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During the MOU signing, Baguio Schools Division Superintendent Soraya Faculo reported marked gains in reading performance among elementary learners in the past school year.

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“Reading performance showed significant improvement at the end of the previous school year,” Faculo told the Inquirer.

READ: INQskwela goes to Malolos, its 8th LGU partner

She said the proportion of struggling readers in Grades 1 to 3 dropped from 42 percent to just 8 percent, while around 4,500 learners attained Grade-Level Ready status based on the Comprehensive Reading Literacy Assessment (CRLA).

Literacy interventions

Faculo said the gains resulted from a combination of literacy interventions implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), the city government, and different partner organizations, including the Inquirer.

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“This is just one among many interventions,” she said, referring to INQskwela. “We have reading programs with the city government, barangay-based reading initiatives, school libraries, and other support systems that all contribute to improving literacy, especially during the foundation years.”

READ: INQSkwela boosts news literacy, reading skills, partners say

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Mayor Benjamin Magalong recognized INQskwela’s broader impact on the city’s education system.

“When we started this, I thought it was only some sort of accommodation. Then it brought something really meaningful and significant, especially to our education system,” Magalong said during the signing.

He said the program’s value extends beyond literacy by helping students navigate an increasingly complex information environment.

“It’s about time that our learners distinguish what is fact and what is disinformation, what is true and what is false,” Magalong said. “The only way to do that is to get hold of information that is factual, reality-based, and not politically motivated.”

Teaching aid

He expressed hope that the partnership would continue beyond his administration.

“It should go beyond leadership. It should go beyond administration if it truly helps our learners,” Magalong said.

Faculo said teachers use InquirerPlus digital content as instructional materials in English, Araling Panlipunan, journalism classes, and discussions on current events and contemporary issues.

“The digital news platform serves as a learning resource. Students use it in journalism competitions, while teachers use it as reference material for lessons and discussions on national and global issues,” she said.

Baguio, Faculo said, is now shifting its focus to junior high school learners, particularly Grade 7 students, after identifying reading comprehension challenges during the transition from elementary to secondary education.

She cited increased screen time, changing learning preferences, and the need for more engaging teaching approaches as factors affecting reading comprehension.

Despite these challenges, Faculo said the Cordillera region remains among the country’s best-performing areas in reading proficiency, citing recent assessments showing it has one of the lowest numbers of struggling readers nationwide.

As of June 16, Baguio recorded 63,152 enrolled learners for school year 2026-2027, including 56,093 in public schools and 7,059 in private schools.

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Baguio joined the INQskwela project in July 2023. From an initial 20 pilot schools granted access to the digital edition of the Inquirer through the InquirerPlus app, participation has expanded to 25 schools.