DAVAO Occidental is among the Top 10 divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd) with the highest percentage of students struggling with reading, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II).
In its latest Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), conducted at the start of the Academic Year 2025–2026, Davao Occidental ranked tenth, with 57.17 percent of students struggling with reading.
Davao Occidental, a province in Davao Region, is one of the newest provinces in the Philippines. It was created in 2014 and has five municipalities. According to the 2020 census, the province has a total population of 317,159.
Meanwhile, Tawi-Tawi topped the list of areas with the highest percentage of students struggling with reading at 75.60 percent, followed by Maguindanao del Norte with 65.38 percent. In third place is the Special Geographic Area (North Cotabato) with 64.49 percent, followed by Zamboanga City with 60.72 percent, and Sarangani with 60.57 percent.
Sixth on the list is Sulu with 59.63 percent, followed by Maguindanao del Sur with 58.46 percent, Lamitan City with 57.77 percent, Basilan with 57.59 percent, and Davao Occidental in tenth place.
On the other hand, Sto. Tomas City recorded the lowest percentage of struggling readers at 23.42 percent, followed by Batanes, Bohol, Mountain Province, and Valenzuela City.
The sixth to tenth spots include Cavite City, Tuguegarao City, Malolos City, Leyte, and Carmona City, respectively.
In the recently launched “LGU Playbook: Fixing the Foundations of Local Education,” the commission detailed how Local Government Units (LGUs) can help improve the country’s education system, outlining what local officials can do and the necessary steps they can take.
“When the local education system fails, communities feel the consequences — in the form of unemployment, poverty, and weakened local revenues,” Edcom stated.
Edcom II is a national commission established through Republic Act No. 11899, also known as the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II) Act, which was passed in July 2022. The commission is tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the Philippine education sector and propose transformative solutions.
The commission is composed of lawmakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives and is guided by an advisory council and assisted by a technical secretariat.
To recall, results of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (Flemms) showed that Davao Occidental lagged significantly behind. The province posted the lowest rate in the region at just 74.2 percent, raising concerns about access to and the quality of education in the area.
In terms of functional literacy rate, defined as the ability not only to read, write, and compute, but also to comprehend and analyze information, results showed even wider gaps. Among individuals aged 10 to 64, Davao Occidental recorded a concerning 46.6 percent. RGP