88% of students entering Grade 7 struggling to read at that level

2026-01-26 - 11:35

MANILA, Philippines – The chronic literacy crisis in the country demands urgent solutions, with recent data showing that nearly nine out of 10 students entering Grade 7 are not “grade-level ready” when it comes to reading. The Final Report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), released on Monday, January 26, showed that the percentage of struggling readers is at 88% in Grade 7, or the first year of junior high school. EDCOM 2 also noted that 40% to 52% of all junior high school students “are at least two grade levels down in reading.” The commission’s findings were based on data from assessments conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd). Graphic from EDCOM 2 “Despite high school attendance and near universal early childhood participation, the system continues to struggle with ensuring that years of schooling translate into actual mastery of basic literacy,” EDCOM 2 said. In the Philippines’ K to 12 system, kindergarten to Grade 3 comprise Key Stage 1, which focuses on foundational skills. The national goal is for children to be literate by the end of Grade 3, to ensure that they do not fall behind in later stages of schooling. Achieving that goal would be an uphill battle, as the DepEd’s Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment showed 48.76% or nearly half of students from Grades 1 to 3 not reading at their respective grade levels at the end of school year 2024-2025. From early childhood to adulthood Many could also carry the burden of illiteracy into adulthood. The Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) showed that nearly 30% of Filipinos aged 10 to 64 are functionally illiterate, or have difficulty with comprehension. “Being functionally illiterate means struggling to follow written instructions, compute basic expenses, read medication labels, or complete forms required for employment or public services. These deficits translate directly into diminished agency and limited participation in civic and economic life,” EDCOM 2 said. In an analytical piece published on Rappler in May 2025, EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee had written that the literacy crisis “is a challenge to our national survival.” “It is deeply related to malnutrition, impacts opportunity and productivity, and perpetuates cycles of poverty,” Yee wrote. Apparently, the challenge has also existed for at least a century. Yee pointed out in the latest EDCOM 2 report that 100 years ago, a government assessment already showed poor literacy among Filipino students. “The 1925 Monroe Survey warned that only 40% of Grade 4 children could read at the expected level, and pointed to weak teacher preparation, an overcrowded curriculum, and the persistent disadvantage of rural communities,” Yee said. This was followed by similar assessments in 1960 that “uncovered deep inequities,” and in 1991, when EDCOM 2’s predecessor EDCOM 1 “declared the system ‘in a state of crisis.'” What now, decades later? As part of its Final Report, EDCOM 2 presented the National Education Plan (NatPlan), a 10-year roadmap for 2026 to 2035 that seeks to address the problems that have long plagued the sector. The NatPlan identifies the functional literacy of early learners as one of the key priority areas, and provides the following recommendations to develop this in particular: “Address classroom backlog and congestion in schools” “Revise procurement guidelines and DepEd policies to ensure complete and timely delivery of textbooks” Provide internet access and digital resources “End ‘mass promotion’ in schools” or the practice of letting learners advance to the next level despite low mastery; fully implement the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program “Reduce administrative burden on teachers” EDCOM 2 did note that the ARAL Program, established through Republic Act No. 12028 in October 2024, has had “early wins” in providing free tutorials and resources to struggling K to 10 learners. At Malanday Elementary School in Marikina City, for instance, students from Grades 1 to 3 categorized as “Developing, Transitioning, and Grade-Level Ready” jumped from 57.26% at the start of school year 2025-2026 to 94.03% by the middle of the school year. Under the NatPlan, EDCOM 2 hopes to increase the percentage of Key Stage 1 learners reading at grade level from less than 50% to 75% by 2028, 90% by 2031, and 95% by 2035. It is also targeting grade-ready Grade 10 students who were assessed in Filipino to increase from 42.1% to 57% by 2028, 72% by 2031, and 87% by 2035. For those who were assessed in English, the goal is to bring up the figure from 18.1% to 33% by 2028, 48% by 2031, and 63% by 2035. – Rappler.com