The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday addressed widespread misinterpretations of newly released national literacy figures, stating that claims suggesting 18.9 million Filipino high school graduates are functionally illiterate are “inaccurate and misleading.”
DepEd cited the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which recorded a 70.8% functional literacy rate among Filipinos aged 10 to 64. This figure includes all individuals in that age range—not solely students or recent graduates.
“Eighty percent of 18-year-olds—those expected to graduate Senior High this year—are functionally literate,” said Undersecretary Ronald Mendoza. “That’s 1.5 million out of 1.9 million, a much more accurate picture than the headlines suggested.”
The misunderstanding partly stems from the PSA’s revised definition of functional literacy, which now requires the ability to read, write, compute, and comprehend complex information. While these higher standards set a clearer benchmark, applying them revealed significant progress: functional literacy rose to 70.8% in 2024 from 61.7% in 2019 using these updated metrics—an 11-percentage-point gain, representing over 11 million more functionally literate Filipinos.
DepEd is pushing forward with long-term reforms under its 2025–2035 Quality Basic Education Development Plan (QBEDP), in line with President Marcos’ education priorities. These include curriculum upgrades, stronger early literacy programs, improved assessment tools, and school-based interventions like the ARAL and Bawat Bata Makababasa programs.
Sec. Sonny Angara stressed that literacy is central to DepEd’s reform agenda. “We have to equip every learner with real-world skills—and that starts with comprehension,” he said.
The department is also expanding the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and collaborating with local governments through the Literacy Coordinating Council to strengthen community-based programs.
“We’re making progress, but we need to do more,” Mendoza stressed. “Clear data, smart investments, and evidence-based programs will help us get there.”
