THE Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday said it would redouble its efforts to boost literacy among learners even as it clarified media reports that functional literacy has declined in the country.
During a Senate hearing, the Philippine Statistics Authority disclosed that nearly 19 million junior and senior high school graduates last year can be considered functionally illiterate, or having a hard time comprehending even a simple story.
The DepEd said there is a need to clarify some media reports claiming that 18.9 million high school graduates in 2024 have very low comprehension skills based on last year’s Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS).
The DepEd added that what the PSA presented in the Senate hearing last week “actually indicates that 18.9 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 are classified as functionally illiterate, meaning they can read, write and compute but struggle with comprehension, regardless of their educational attainment.”
The DepEd said this figure represents a broad segment of the population, not only high school graduates of the DepEd system.
It said that literate Filipinos actually increased from 61. 7 percent in 2019 to 70.8 percent in 2024, equivalent to approximately 11 million more Filipinos considered functionally literate based on PSA’s 2024 definition.
To improve the functional literacy of learners, the DepEd disclosed the initiatives it is now undertaking.
Among these initiatives to combat functional illiteracy among learners are curriculum reforms, strengthening the Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy program to improve fundamental skills.
The department is also taking steps to enhance formative assessment practices to better track student progress.
Also being put in place are school-based initiatives such as the institutionalization of Learning Action cells, and targeted intervention programs, including the ARAL Program, Bawat Bata Makabasa Program, Literacy Remediation Program, Summer Academic Remedial Program, and Learning Camps.
The DepEd also added that its Alternative Learning System (ALS) has implemented the Basic Literacy Program, which focuses on developing fundamental skills in reading, writing, and numeracy.
It has also piloted the Functional Education and Literacy Program, with emphasis on financial education to support ALS learners.
The DepEd is also coordinating with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to institutionalize literacy mapping, promotion of literacy innovation, and support to over 300 local councils for localization and community-based literacy program management.
“Make no mistake, we still need to pursue deep reforms to reach many Filipinos who are still falling through the cracks in terms of achieving functional literacy. Notwithstanding the improvements we noted, we need to redouble our efforts to move the needle on boosting functional literacy,” the DepEd said.
“Secretary Sonny Angara has long emphasized that literacy must be at the core of DepEd’s educational reforms, highlighting the department’s commitment to addressing this issue and equipping learners for their future.
“As outlined in the Quality Basic Education Development Plan 2025-2035, DepEd reinforces President Ferdinand R. Marcos’ education priorities, with the ultimate goal of empowering Filipinos and enhancing their employability,” the statement said.
DepEd assistant secretary for curriculum and teaching Jerome Buenviaje underscored the need to develop learners’ literacy skills as early as kindergarten
In an interview over Radio dzBB he said: “It is important that when teaching, we should start in the early stages from Kindergarten up to Grade 3. Since there are studies showing that if we don’t focus on the key stages of learning, they will have a hard time catching up when they reach Grade 4 and up,”
But Buenviaje stressed that poor nutrition also affects learners.
“We believed that nutrition and literacy should go hand in hand. That is why the DepEd is laying a good foundation. We have access to early childhood nutrition and a strong literacy program from K to 3,” he said.
MEDIA REPORTS
The DepEd said there is a need to clarify some media reports claiming that 18.9 million high school graduates in 2024 have very low comprehension skills based on last year’s Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS).
The DepEd added that what the PSA presented in the Senate hearing last week “actually indicates that 18.9 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 are classified as functionally illiterate, meaning they can read, write and compute but struggle with comprehension, regardless of their educational attainment.”
It said this figure represents a broad segment of the population, not only high school graduates of the DepEd system.
It cited the following statistics: “The total number of junior high school and senior high school learners for school year 2024-2025 is only about 11.6 million, making it incorrect to attribute the full 18.9 million figure solely to high school graduates. Additionally, among 18-year-olds who are expected to graduate or have graduated from senior high school, 80 percent or 1.5 million are functionally literate, providing a more accurate estimate of literacy levels among senior high school graduates in school year 2024-2025.”
For the statistics mentioned, the DepEd cited a position by former Ateneo School of Government dean and now DepEd undersecretary for strategic management Ronald Mendoza who said: “The DepEd stressed that the PSA has also revised the definitions of ‘basic’ and ‘functional literacy.’”
Previously, the PSA said, individuals aged five and above were classified as “basically literate” if they could read and write and those aged 10 to 64 as “functionally literate” if they could read, write, compute, and comprehend.
But the definitions, it added, were revised in 2024, showing more stringent criteria.
The department said “basic literates” should now be able to read and write with understanding and compute, whereas “functional literates” should be able to read, write, compute, and comprehend.
“As a result of these definitional changes, overall literacy rates have decreased. Using the previous definitions, the basic and functional literacy rates would have been 95.1 percent and 93.1 percent respectively. However, under the revised criteria, these figures have dropped to 90 percent and 70.8 percent respectively.”
“Some media outlets attached the revised definition to the old data, attempting to compare apples and oranges. This is incorrect and gives the impression of a large decline in literacy when in fact literacy rates increased between 2019 and 2024 based on both the old and the new definitions,” the DepEd said.
“Strong media coverage can help PSA and EDCOM2 raise greater awareness of the need to invest in functional literacy. However, some clarifications are in order, as some of the figures appear to have been misinterpreted,” it added.
Using the new definitions, the DepEd said the share of functionally literate Filipinos actually increased from 61. 7 percent in 2019 to 70.8 percent in 2024, equivalent to approximately 11 million more Filipinos considered functionally literate based on PSA’s 2024 definition.
