WHETHER you’re a candidate for national or local positions in the May 12 polls or one of their supporters, you should be concerned about how you can contribute to improving the quality of life of our people and ensuring a better future for our country.
And when we talk about achieving a better future for the nation, then we must be concerned as well with improving the quality of the education of our youth.
A recent survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority called Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Study (FLEMMS) showed some 18.9 million Filipinos who completed secondary education between 2019 and 2024 may be considered “functional illiterate” as they still have problems with reading comprehension despite years of schooling.
According to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate basic education committee, the results of the study should prod the national government to devise a strategy to address “the gravity of our situation now.”
We agree. In fact, the lawmaker believes the failure to achieve higher levels of basic literacy in the country is among the factors behind the high poverty incidence in some provinces.
The country’s poorest provinces, such as Tawi-Tawi and Davao Occidental, recorded the highest functional illiteracy rate, while the provinces that topped the PSA literacy list, like Cavite and Bataan, have lower poverty incidence rates.
The senator estimated that based on the PSA data and available information, about 24.82 million Filipinos age 10 to 64 could be considered functional illiterate, or individuals who could read, write and compute but could not understand what they have read.
That’s not all. Another 5.86 million Filipinos belonging to the same age group are “basic illiterate,” or unable to read, write and compute.
14.QUI According to education experts, those who are considered functional illiterate have very basic reading and writing skills but are unable to apply them in everyday situations. For instance, they may know how to write their full names but cannot properly fill out job applications or understand complicated written instructions.
Moreover, the functional illiterate would be unable to perform complex tasks or acquire higher literacy skills and consequently, have limited employment opportunities. They are also likely to remain poor and remain vulnerable to social exclusion.
The end-result of functional illiteracy is intergenerational disadvantage, or a situation where children who grow up in a low literacy household usually experience educational difficulties as well.
Do your candidates for national or local positions have clear positions on how they can help improve our educational system and prepare the youth to take an active part in nation-building?
If not, ditch them and vote for somebody else.
