Latest news with #FLEMMS
GMA Network
27-05-2025
- General
- GMA Network
Pasay, San Juan score highest literacy rate in 2024 —PSA
Pasay City scored the highest basic literacy rate while San Juan City recorded the highest functional literacy rate among highly urbanized cities in 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Based on PSA's 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) report, basic literacy is the ability of a person to read and write a simple message with understanding and to compute or perform basic mathematical operations. Meanwhile, functional literacy is the ability of a person to read, write, compute, and comprehend. This skill includes a higher level of comprehension. In the 2024 FLEMMS, Pasay logged a 96.2% basic literacy rate. This means around 96 of 100 individuals five years old and above in the city can read, write, and compute. Pasay was followed by Cagayan de Oro City (96.1%), San Juan City (95.50%), Pasig City (95.50%), and Mandaue City (95.2%). Meanwhile, San Juan recorded a 94.5% functional literacy rate, or about 95 out of 100 individuals in the city can read, write, compute, and comprehend. San Juan was followed by Baguio City (89.8%), Pasig City (89.1%), Pateros (88.1%), and Makati City (87.3%). Among the provinces in the Philippines, Apayao garnered the highest basic literacy with 95.2%, while Benguet recorded the highest functional literacy with 87.9%. Completing the Top 5 provinces with the highest basic literacy are Romblon (94.6%), Nueva Ecija (94.23%), Bohol (94.22%), and Rizal (94.20%). Second to the highest functional literacy rate is Rizal (82.1%), followed by Romblon (81.9%), Batangas (81.3%), and Siquijor (80.0%). 2024 FLEMMS reported that for every 100 individuals 5 years old and over, about 95 individuals can read, write, and compute in Apayao. Out of 100 individuals 10 to 64 years old, about 88 can read, write, compute, and comprehend in Benguet. Meanwhile, Tawi-Tawi (30.5%), Davao Occidental (21%), Basilan (19.8%), Northern Samar (19.5%), and Sarangani (15.7%) got the highest illiteracy rates, respectively. The FLEMMS is a household-based nationwide survey conducted every five years. The 2024 FLEMMS is the seventh in the series of literacy surveys in the country that started in 1989. It was conducted from September to October 2024.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
19-05-2025
- General
- GMA Network
PSA: 5.58 junior high school graduates lack comprehension skills
'The estimated number of high school graduates, including junior high completers 10 to 64 years old, who are basic literate but are not functionally literate because of lack of comprehension skills stands at 5.58 million in 2024,' Cerezo said. There are 5.58 million high school graduates considered 'functionally illiterate" or having problems in comprehension and understanding, the Philippine Statistics Authority has clarified. PSA assistant national statistician Adrian Cerezo made the clarification in a House committee briefing in the wake of reports that the number of junior high school graduates tagged as 'functional illiterate' or those who have problems in comprehension and understanding, stood at 18.9 million. 'We'd like to point out that the difference of 18.965 million between the old and new definition…does not represent only those who graduated from senior high and high school graduates in the old curriculum," PSA assistant national statistician Adrian Cerezo said. "[It] stands for all 10 to 64 years old who have functional literacy deficiencies regardless of educational attainment,' he added. 'The estimated number of high school graduates, including junior high completers 10 to 64 years old, who are basic literate but are not functionally literate because of lack of comprehension skills stands at 5.58 million in 2024,' Cerezo said. House Committee on Basic Education and Culture chairman Roman Romulo said that the 5.58 million individuals who still couldn't understand what they read, even with a high school diploma, should be a cause of concern. The Department of Education (DepEd) has pointed out that the 18.9 million Filipinos considered as 'functionally illiterate' based on the results of the 2024 functional literacy, education, and mass media survey (FLEMMS) came from a much broader age group, and were not only high school graduates. These people who are functionally illiterate can read, write, and compute, but struggle with comprehension, regardless of their educational attainment. Cerezo said that of the 18.9 million, over 13 million people were not able to finish junior or senior high school at the very least. 'It doesn't make the picture any better because ibig sabihin, 'yung 13 million tinatanggal niyo lang, gusto niyo lang sabihin na hindi kasi nag-graduate ng high school 'yan—pero pwedeng dumaan hanggang Grade 9, Grade 8… So, it's not reflective of a quality education being given by DepEd,' Romulo said. (It doesn't make the picture any better because that means that with the 13 million you are removing, you just want to say that they weren't able to graduate from high school—but it's possible that they were able to reach Grade 9, Grade 8... So, it's not reflective of a quality education being given by DepEd.) 'Again, 5.5 million pa rin ang nakapagtapos ng senior high school or high school na hindi maka-comprehend ng binabasa…5.5 million pa rin 'yun, malaki pa rin. Gusto niyo lang sabihin sa'min na 'yung 13 million, hindi kasi nakapag-tapos pero pwedeng nag-aral 'yun,' he continued. (Again, there are still 5.5 million who graduated from senior high school or high school who can't understand what they still 5.5 million, it's still a lot. You just want to tell us that the 13 million were removed because they didn't graduate, but they could have still gone to school.) –NB, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
01-05-2025
- General
- Filipino Times
Over 18M high school graduates in PH have poor comprehension, PSA finds
More than 18 million high school graduates in the Philippines are considered 'functional illiterate' or have poor comprehension and struggle to understand even simple information. This was revealed during a Senate basic education committee hearing on the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS). According to a post by the Senate of the Philippines on Facebook, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian stressed the need for targeted programs to solve this problem. 'As long as there's somebody who cannot read, write, and compute, there will be poverty in our country. We need to break that cycle of poverty by injecting education,' Gatchalian said. PSA confirms alarming trend PSA Assistant National Statistician Adrian Cerezo agreed with Gatchalian's observation. 'Accurate, sir,' Cerezo replied. 'We note that there are actually a significant number who are passing or graduating but are not really functional literate.' Gatchalian also emphasized, 'That's quite concerning. That means one out of five of our graduates cannot comprehend and understand a simple story, and that's something that we need to address.' 'That's the problem of basic education because paano sila nag-graduate nang hindi sila functional literate? Iba 'yung hindi pumasok eh, iba rin yung pumasok ka but naka-graduate ka but you're not functional literate,' Gatchalian said. 'Should not happen. No one should graduate in our basic education system, no one will graduate in our basic education system that will not be functional literate… DepEd should already be proactive in making sure that no one will graduate not being functional literate,' he added. What changed in the literacy definition In 2019, those who graduated from junior high or high school were automatically counted as functionally literate. But the 2024 FLEMMS now defines functional literacy as the ability to read, write, compute, and comprehend. With this change, the number of functional literates dropped from 79 million in 2019 to 60 million in 2024, showing that many graduates still cannot understand basic texts. Top provinces with the most illiterate residents Tawi-Tawi topped the list with 67% of its population considered functionally illiterate. It was followed by Davao Occidental (53%), Zamboanga del Sur (49%), Northern Samar (48%), Basilan (48%), Sarangani (48%), Western Samar (46%), Agusan del Norte (44%), Sultan Kudarat (44%), and Lanao del Norte (44%). Officials hope this data from the PSA will guide local governments to create urgent programs that will improve reading and comprehension in schools.
