Let us not be too quick to blame the online mode of learning resorted to during the pandemic for the country’s alarming functional illiteracy rate.
Critics have pointed to several factors, including the shift to digital learning, for the poor literacy levels of high school graduates in recent years. The illiteracy numbers are worrying, with nearly 19 million students who completed secondary school between 2019 and 2024 said to be functionally illiterate, according to the latest government survey. That means they can read and write, but do not understand what they’re reading.
Yes, digital learning during the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to the fall in comprehension by students. But there are several factors, or shall we say villains, behind this crisis in the education sector.
This surge in functional illiteracy came to light after the Philippine Statistics Authority revised its criteria to include reading comprehension as a core component in measuring functional literacy. Reports said this change showed how many high school graduates lack essential understanding skills.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Senate basic education committee chairman, shared last week the 2024 results of the Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey. He said 18 million junior high and senior high school graduates are not functionally literate, meaning “they graduated from our basic education system, but they cannot read, they cannot understand and comprehend a simple story.”
Educators have long cited poverty as a barrier to education. Students from low-income families lack access to learning materials, suffer from poor nutrition and are forced to work to help their families. Add to that the poor quality of education, with teachers lacking adequate training, the large classroom sizes, and the mass promotion of students during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The findings also underscore the long-standing north-south divide. Provinces with the highest illiteracy rates are mostly located in Mindanao and some in the Visayas.
Then, there’s also the impact of the shift to digital learning. It’s easy to blame this digital shift because it was new, and many were unprepared. But the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t cause the problem; it simply exposed and deepened it.
Students in urban areas, especially in Metro Manila, tend to have reliable internet, access to gadgets and support from parents or guardians who could assist with lessons at home. Students in many parts of Mindanao and the Visayas, however, struggled with poor connectivity, lack of devices and limited access to the printed modules. Some had to walk to town halls to get a signal; others dropped out to help support their families.
Since digital learning is here to stay, as there seems to be no going back to pre-pandemic ways, the challenge now is to improve it. Educators must continue developing digital tools for education and invest in both teachers and tools, across both the north and the south.
We must find out what worked, what didn’t and close the gaps the pandemic left behind.