Disappointed, but not surprised, as the old saying goes.
The results of the Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media (FLEMMS) 2024 was, certainly, not news to concerned sectors already worried about the worsening literacy rate among our youth.
What is worrisome, some educators told OpinYon Laguna, is how the very people who should be the one to lead the youth out of the “darkness” have also become lost themselves as they try strategy upon strategy to solve the country’s reading crisis.
That was one of the takeaways from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Calabarzon's Regional Data Dissemination on the 2024 FLEMMS held in Calamba City, Laguna last June 2.
Basic literacy
During the forum, PSA officials led by Officer-in-charge Charity Bautista of the Statistical Operations and Coordination Division reported that 92.6 percent of individuals aged 5 years and above residing in the Calabarzon region are "basic literate."
This meant that nine out of 10 residents of Region 4-A can "read, write, and compute."
However, the same results show a widening discrepancy between basic literacy and functional literacy, or the ability of students to comprehend and analyze what they read.
Data provided by the PSA showed that 77.3 percent of Calabarzon's residents, or 8 out of 10 individuals, can be classed as "functional literate."
This translates to around 10.13 million individuals aged 10 to 64 years in the region who can read, write, compute, and comprehend what they read.
"Most concerningly, 5.5 million senior high school graduates lack comprehension skills," Dr. Elino Garcia, Chief Education Supervisor of Department of Education (DepEd) Region IV-A, pointed out during the forum.
"This meant...that our learners still struggle to comprehend written text, follow instructions, apply what they've learned, and participate meaningfully in society," Garcia added.
Other results
The DepEd official also pointed out that functional illiteracy "cuts across" all socio-economic and age sectors but is also prevalent among older adults.
"Among those aged 60 and above, functional literacy drops steeply to around 76.2 percent. This reminds us that literacy is a lifelong need," Garcia stressed.
The FLEMMS 2024 results also showed that female learners continue to outperform males when it comes to both basic and functional literacy.
"While this reflects, again, in gender equity, it also calls us to pay close attention to learning strategies that engage boys, particularly in reading comprehension and critical thinking," he added.
What to do?
Which brings us to the most basic question, posed by OpinYon Laguna during the forum: what to do about the issue?
In response, DepEd Calabarzon’s Garcia cited a program called the Cognitive Activities for Reading Enhancement + Numeracy (CARE+1).
CARE+1, according to officials, is a summer intervention program to support students who need additional assistance in literacy and numeracy from grade school to senior high school.
“Grounded in science and mathematics, it reflects our commitment to data-driven, inclusive remediation directly aligned with the gap in comprehension and reading application revealed in the FLEMMS 2024,” Garcia explained.
Garcia said the program also emphasizes data-driven instruction, with learners undergoing pre- and post-assessments to monitor progress.
Teachers receive orientation and development training to ensure effective delivery of the CARE+1 modules.
“This is the current program underway in Calabarzon across all divisions and in selected schools, after identifying learners with low performance in foundational learning. Remediation activities are being provided to support our learners,” Garcia added.
Start them young
Other educators, however, believe that the best approach to combat the widening gap between basic literacy and functional literacy is to start, literally, at the start – that is, to focus on early childhood.
"Mechanistic or traditional approach in teaching reading ang ginagawa natin for the longest time," was how Michelle Nikki Junia, president of Musikgarten Philippines, put it in her message to OpinYon Laguna.
Based on her own experience as an educator, as well as scientific studies conducted in other countries, Junia stressed the need to "start them young" when it comes to reading.
"It is better to read first to children. It opens up their senses, wonders, curiosity and imagination. This should be the first step as it stimulates their comprehension. Once this has been stimulated, the teaching of actual reading...becomes easier for children because they are motivated intrinsically," she explained.
Junia also pointed out that in countries such as Japan and Finland, where the literacy rate is almost 100 percent, reading is taught to children as young as seven or eight years old.
“This has been my advocacy and I want to resonate this to our leaders in the educational sector. It’s a waste of time if children don’t understand what they read,” she stressed.
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