18 Million Filipino High School Grads Functionally Illiterate: A Systemic Failure
A Senate hearing revealed alarming data from the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS): 18 million Filipino junior and senior high school graduates (2019-2024) are functionally illiterate. This means they lack the comprehension skills to understand simple text, despite completing their basic education. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Department of Education to address this crisis proactively, ensuring all students achieve functional literacy before graduation. The findings corroborate earlier studies highlighting a severe learning crisis in the Philippines.
John Q. Hosedrinker