A nation that can read — but not understand

In today’s society, we consider a lot of things as a luxury. However, when basic needs such as good quality education become unattainable — it alarms the thought of how the future generations will have regressing robust educational environments.

For the past few decades, the Philippines maintained its high literacy rate with over 18 million Filipinos aged 10-64 are considered to be functionally illiterate, having difficulty in reading, computing, and to utilize information properly.

This is where the issue deepens, as literacy is no longer just about recognizing words but about comprehension. And when comprehension fails, everything else follows.

The comprehension gap
Literacy refers to the fundamental ability to read, write, understand, and use information gathered in day-to-day activities. While functional literacy focuses more on the ability to calculate and solve problems based on written or unwritten data.

In the past, we regarded someone literate if they had the ability to write, read, and compute. Today, however, standards have changed. According to the latest Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media survey, literacy now includes higher-level comprehension skills, which include understanding, interpreting, and applying information.

When literacy fails, it only points to one thing: despite having a large budget, the Philippine government fails to address systemic issues and poverty that lead to this kind of crisis. Having a high illiteracy rate reduces business productivity and employability in the country, which is another issue.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) is a national commission tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.

Who leads in struggling readers
The Philippine education sector is facing a learning crisis, specifically the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, topping the list.

According to EDCOM II, Tawi-Tawi posts the highest struggling reading rate at 75.6%. This was based on the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment conducted to oversee nationwide performance.

And this is not just an isolated case, several divisions across Mindanao — Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu — also rank among those with the highest number of struggling readers.

Data also revealed that 33.42% of the students, or one in three, are considered “low-emerging readers.” Furthermore, 88% of incoming high school students are still struggling to read.

Three root causes
There are 3 main reasons why there’s a low literacy rate in the said area:

• Corruption: While most focus on other national issues, many fail to realize how corruption impacts education significantly. This includes ghost schools and teachers, poor infrastructure, and the lack of resources for students to utilize in their learning.

• Poverty: Due to poverty, some students are forced to stop their studies to help with the finances of their family, or if they continue, they sacrifice basic necessities just to go to school, such as food and hygiene. In 2023 alone, 29.5% of children below five years old are stunted, affecting brain development and limiting their ability to learn.

• Lack of access to formal schools due to the geographical situation: Another factor that hinders the youth from learning is the access to schools. Many students in remote areas live far from schools or learning centers. As of 2025, over 5,800 baranggays nationwide still lack a Child Development Center or a similar learning facility.

What needs to be done now
Despite the scale of the problem, some solutions exist, but their challenges lie in their implementation.

In its report, “LGU PLAYBOOK: Fixing the Foundations of Local Education,” EDCOMM II emphasizes that this educational crisis can be fixed by:

• Strengthening early childhood education, so children are ready to learn before entering formal education.
• Improving nutrition, especially in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
• Expanding access to schools and learning centers in underserved communities.
• Implementing the ARAL Program, which is designed to help learners catch up in terms of reading, math, and science through targeted interventions.

Local government units are also encouraged to use the Special Education Fund strategically, focusing not just on infrastructure but also on actual learning recovery.

The cost of inaction
If education is the key to success, then literacy is the key to education. And if millions of Filipino youth struggle to understand what they read, then the path forward becomes unclear for them.

This is no longer just a one-sector issue — but an economic issue, a social issue, and a national issue.

Because at the end of the day, this is not just about numbers or reports, but about students in classrooms, trying to read words that do not make sense — and a system that must decide whether to leave the hope of the nation behind, or finally catch up with them.