The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has revealed that a high number of high school graduates in the country can read but struggle to comprehend what they read.
This growing concern in the Philippine education system was outlined following the release of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), which assessed the literacy levels of Filipinos aged 10 to 64. The survey focused not just on basic reading and writing skills, but also on the ability to understand and apply information in daily life.
Also known as functional literacy, this refers to the ability of being able to read, write, and perform basic math with comprehension and use these skills in real-world situations, such as reading instructions, understanding bills, or filling out forms.
The 2024 FLEMMS introduced a stricter definition of literacy, now placing emphasis on comprehension and the practical application of information. Using this updated framework, the survey found that around 18.9 million high school graduates in the Philippines are functionally illiterate.
While these individuals have satisfactorily completed the basic education curriculum, many lack the fundamental skills needed to process and understand the meaning of what they read. This alarming finding highlights a serious gap between what academic and educational institutions see as “graduating” as opposed to actual learning.
Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, expressed deep concern over the survey results. He urged the Department of Education (DepEd), now led by Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, to adopt a more proactive and urgent strategy in tackling the country’s growing literacy crisis.
Gatchalian also mentioned findings from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which reported that some 15-year-old students still cannot read even simple stories.
The 2024 FLEMMS data also pointed to regional disparities in functional literacy across the Philippines. Provinces such as Tawi-Tawi and Davao Occidental were found to have some of the country’s highest rates of functional illiteracy. At the same time, these areas also experience higher poverty incidence.
This suggests a possible link between poverty status and functional literacy. The data could indicate that poverty and low income levels may either contribute to or result in poor literacy outcomes.
