DCOM 2 warns functional illiteracy doubled to 24.8 million

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) reported that the number of functionally illiterate Filipinos has nearly doubled to 24.8 million in 2024, based on the latest Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS).

EDCOM 2 revealed the figure during a recent hearing where lawmakers raised concerns over the Department of Education’s (DepEd) involvement in 261 interagency bodies, saying the workload has distracted the agency from addressing the worsening literacy crisis.

The new tally represents a sharp increase from only 63 interagency engagements identified in EDCOM’s earlier report.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara confirmed that DepEd chairs at least 20 of these bodies and co-leads 21 others with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Under FLEMMS, functional illiteracy refers to the inability to apply basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills in everyday life — a condition that hampers productivity, economic participation, and informed citizenship.

EDCOM 2 said that teachers continue to bear the brunt of excessive non-teaching tasks such as administrative work, coordination duties, and participation in multiple government programs, leaving them less time to focus on classroom instruction.

The commission warned that these overlapping responsibilities contribute to declining learning outcomes and the persistence of illiteracy nationwide.

DepEd said it has started reducing its participation to only “high-impact” interagency councils to refocus on improving core educational programs.

The department is also hiring administrative officers so that every public school will have at least one by 2026, aiming to ease the clerical load on teachers.

Angara said DepEd’s mandates have multiplied over the years through laws requiring curriculum changes, health and nutrition initiatives, disaster preparedness programs, and school conversions, many of which were enacted without matching budget allocations.

He estimated that fully funding all mandated programs would require more than PHP 1 trillion.

EDCOM 2 said addressing the mounting administrative burden on DepEd and teachers is crucial if the country hopes to reverse its declining literacy rates and achieve meaningful educational reform.

The commission added that it will continue reviewing institutional bottlenecks in the education sector and push for rationalizing DepEd’s functions to ensure teachers can “teach first, and administrate second.”

The 2024 FLEMMS findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen foundational learning, particularly in reading and comprehension, as the country faces one of the highest functional illiteracy rates in Southeast Asia.

Experts have long warned that low literacy and numeracy skills have far-reaching implications for employment, civic engagement, and national competitiveness.

EDCOM 2 said its ongoing review aims to align education governance with the goal of improving functional literacy across all regions, emphasizing that “quality education begins with a system that allows teachers to teach and learners to learn.”