Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) assured on Thursday that the government has been intensifying interventions in schools following reports of more than 18 million high school graduates from 2019-2024 considered 'functional illiterate'. DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said instead of memorization, the agency is making efforts to help students become critical thinkers while teaching them 21st-century skills.
According to Philippines News Agency, Angara emphasized that no child will be allowed to fall behind in reading and comprehension. The recent FLEMMS results on functional literacy underscore the necessity for literacy to be central in educational reforms. The government is focused on improving teaching and assessment methods and enhancing remedial and literacy programs in schools.
Angara assured that the agency's goal is to ensure every Filipino learner is functionally literate and prepared for the future. Lawmakers expressed concern on Wednesday over the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) results, which revealed that over 18 million high school graduates from 2019 to 2024 cannot read and comprehend.
The Philippine Statistics Authority defines a functionally literate person as someone who can read, write, compute, and comprehend.
