PH pupils better at reading, but . . .
Nearly 2 million Filipino students still have problems in the reading comprehension requirements of their grade level, prompting the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) to push for their inclusion in the literacy remediation programs of the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Based on the [assessments], the programs are good. They are working, but they can also be improved. [The teachers we talked to] said they need more time to focus on just reading, reading, reading,” Edcom 2 co-chair and Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo said in a statement.
Romulo issued the statement after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) released its third report on the results of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (Flemms), which DepEd uses as a policy tool in their reading programs.
PSA started collating data last October and found that more than 90 percent were “basically literate,” or able to read and write a simple message in any language and to compute or perform basic mathematical operations.
The agency defines “functional literacy” as the ability to read, write, compute and comprehend, particularly higher comprehension skills, which varies across the country depending on a number of socioeconomic factors, including educational attainment.
The report found functional literacy highest in Cordillera Administrative Region with Benguet and Apayao being the top two in the highest basic literacy rate among provinces. Baguio City was second among highly urbanized cities, the PSA said.
PSA regional chief statistician Aldrin Bahit said Apayao recorded 95.2 percent followed by Benguet with 94.9 percent in basic literacy rate, the highest among the provinces in the country.
The results of the 2024 Flemms showed that basic literacy rate increases as the highest grade completed becomes higher among population 5 years old and over.
Among the population in this age group, those who have reached or completed at least high school level of education registered basic literacy rates higher than the national rate of 90 percent.
Educational attainment
In addition, individuals who had reached or completed post baccalaureate recorded the highest basic literacy of 98 percent, while individuals with no grade completed recorded the lowest basic literacy rate of 25.6 percent.
Still, problems remain in functional literacy despite gains from DepEd’s reading programs.
These so-called “transitioning readers,” who have the potential to be adept at their grade level if given “targeted support,” should be included in DepEd’s literacy remediation program, Edcom stressed.
This prompted the Edcom to recommend to the DepEd to also target such type of students, or those who “can read with 51 to 75 percent fluency for their grade level at the start of the school year and at least 50 percent of comprehension questions,” pegged at around 1.7 million learners.
Under the DepEd’s remediation programs, “intensive and structured literacy intervention” are introduced to Grade 3 students who are deemed “low emerging readers” in the English language based on the previous school year’s assessments.
Overall data from the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment of the DepEd showed that 2.85 million learners in Grade 1 to 3, accounting for 52 percent of those assessed, were “grade-level ready.”
Edcom noted that the feedback from both students and parents on the reading program were “positive,” noting the improved reading skills as well as its impact on self-confidence.
But attendance remained a challenge although the program was made compulsory to specific students.
Genalin Ong, principal of Padre Zamora Elementary School, told Edcom that those who needed the interventions the most were the ones who skipped the remedial classes this summer break.
