The high illiteracy rate across the Philippines reveals major flaws in the country's education system, including lack of funding, ineffective assessments, and low teacher performance. Despite years of basic education, many students struggle with basic reading and comprehension.
Current literacy status of the Philippines
A periodic report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that 18.9 million Filipino junior and senior high school completers from 2019 to 2024 are considered 'functionally illiterate.'
This means that despite years of schooling, they still have problems, including not understanding and comprehending a simple story.
Meanwhile, more than 24 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 are functionally illiterate, and 5.8 million are considered basic illiterate, which means they cannot read or write at all.
The status of the Philippines now is almost no different to its status in 2021, where at least nine out of 10 children struggle to read and write simple text, according to the World Bank’s recorded statistics.
The lapses of PH education amplifying learning crisis
One of the primary mishaps of the education sector is the effective rollout of assessments as learning evaluation tools, such as diagnostic tests and the National Assessment Test (NAT).
According to the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), NAT fails to deliver baseline achievement data among DepEd learners due to school practices making the test a competition for recognition.
In 2024, NAT for Grade 12 results across all regions and tracks remain at a low proficiency level, which indicates a learning deficiency and disparity in core subjects.
Another issue faced by the education sector is the lack of resources and infrastructures in many schools in the Philippines, especially in remote and rural areas, which directly affects the learning crisis.
A 2023 report by the Department of Education states that around 5,000 schools in the Philippines have no access to electricity, while 10,000 have no access to potable water, where the lack of basic amenities can influence student and teachers performance.
How teaching performance affect students’ learning
Aside from the lack of proper assessment, another challenge is the teachers' performance, which includes in-depth subject matter knowledge to host students' 21st-century skills.
According to the PBEd 2023 report, only 56% of teacher education institutions pass the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers, which is lower than the national average over the past 12 years.
There has also been a lack of teacher capacity to develop foundational reading and numeracy skills in the early grades, widening the learning gaps in the education sector.
What does the government say on the issue?
Chief Education Program Specialist of DepEd Dr. Rosalina Villaneza said that at the beginning of the upcoming school year, the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (PHIL-IRI) will be strictly implemented to guide students who need intervention.
“There is a need for us to train a reading teacher for secondary so that each secondary school will have a reading teacher who will address the needs of these learners,” Villaneza added.
Chairman of the Senate basic education committee, Senator Win Gatchalian also said that it is important to tap local government u
