Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is urging the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to require local government units to form literacy councils aimed at improving functional literacy rates across the country.
He said the creation of local literacy coordinating councils would ensure the effective implementation of grassroots literacy programs.
The senator raised his concerns during a Senate hearing on the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey.
Gatchalian highlighted that over 18 million Filipinos remain functionally illiterate despite completing formal basic education.
“This should not happen. The very basic goal of basic education is to make Filipinos functionally literate,” said Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
The senator also cited data from the Philippine Statistics Authority analyzed by his office showing that 18.96 million individuals still struggle with basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and comprehension.
“It’s non-negotiable that a student who will graduate from the basic education system should become functionally literate, but that’s not the case now,” he lamented.
Gatchalian called for a systemic approach that brings literacy programs closer to communities, particularly those underserved by traditional education systems.
He pointed to Valenzuela City’s strategy of house-to-house surveys to find out-of-school and functionally illiterate individuals.
The senator also proposed integrating literacy initiatives into the programs of barangays and local school boards and recommended tapping local teachers and education stakeholders to lead the implementation of these community-based efforts.
