NEWTON, MA | October 16, 2009
Responding to requests from public elementary school teachers, Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), and its partners are distributing nearly 50,000 free copies of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary to classrooms in more than 700 elementary schools in the war-torn region of Muslim Mindanao in the Philippines. The distribution occurs today, World Dictionary Day, which honors the birthday of Noah Webster, father of the American dictionary.
The event is sponsored by the EDC program known as Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS2), and the National Book Store Foundation. Dictionaries will be delivered to every classroom and community learning center that participates in the project. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“Teachers believe through the use of a dictionary, students will become more interested in reading and will have a better grasp of English,” says EDC’s Yvette Tan, adding that “a good grasp of the English language will improve students’ understanding of subjects taught in English, such as science and math.”
Simultaneous celebrations of World Dictionary Day will be held at elementary schools throughout Mindanao, an island region that has been home to a minority Muslim population for more than five centuries. Much of Mindanao’s history has been marked by war, poverty, inter-clan fighting, and ethnic marginalization. Nearly half of the region’s children do not attend school.
The celebrations will include interscholastic spelling bees, with representatives from all schools competing. Winners will receive their own copies of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and schoolwide distributions will take place throughout November.
EQuALLS2 is a public-private alliance among Filipino and U.S.-based organizations working to increase educational opportunities for local children in and out of school; strengthen the capacity for teaching English, math, and science at the elementary level; improve teacher quality; and mobilize the community in support of education. EDC is providing leadership and coordination as these organizations overhaul the education sector. To learn more, visit http://equalls.edc.org/
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Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that develops, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the world's most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. EDC manages more than 300 projects in 35 countries.
http://www.edc.org
