Legarda seeks focused education reform to cut illiteracy

Senator Loren Legarda has pushed for systemic reforms in education governance that address deep-seated structural inefficiencies and restore the Department of Education’s (DepEd) focus on foundational learning.

Legarda made the call during the sectoral review of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) with DepEd, which she co-chairs, while also serving as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education.

“Education is the system that enables every other reform to work,” Legarda said.

“It is the mind that guides every hand that builds. From health to livelihood, from industry to defense, every pillar of progress stands on the strength of an educated people.”

Citing data from EDCOM II’s analysis, Legarda flagged persistent gaps in the education system including a backlog of about 165,000 classrooms, with only 30% of existing buildings in good condition.

She also pointed out the shortage of 32,916 teaching positions and 22,124 principal posts nationwide, with 1,338 school head positions still unfilled.

Each School Division Office staff now supports an average of 1,237 learners and 33 schools, underscoring an overstretched and under-resourced bureaucracy.

Legarda acknowledged DepEd’s efforts to address these issues, such as the creation of 20,000 new teacher items and 10,000 Administrative Officer II positions.

She also lauded the One School, One Principal initiative and reforms supporting school leadership development.

DepEd recently issued the first Medical Allowance Guidelines and raised the Teaching Support Subsidy for private school teachers from PHP 18,000 to PHP 24,000.

The Teaching Supplies Allowance was also doubled to PHP 10,000 under the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, which Legarda championed.

DepEd reported that it is building 328 Child Development Centers in partnership with local governments.

It is also implementing Project Ligtas, a tool for mapping school geohazards, and launching Project Talino to enable data-driven partner matching.

Other key initiatives include Project SIGLA to monitor nutrition outcomes and the expansion of early childhood and feeding programs.

Legarda pushed for the full implementation of the National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008, which she authored, and called for a review of how culture and history are being taught.

DepEd confirmed that environmental literacy and cultural identity are both integrated across the curriculum.

Legarda emphasized the need for increased funding and sustained support for the Alternative Learning System (ALS) and Indigenous Peoples Education (IPED) programs.

DepEd reported that only 46% of ALS learners completed the program for School Year 2023–2024.

“When education fails to reach the poor, the loss is not only in learning but in productivity, opportunity, and national growth,” Legarda said.

She reiterated that EDCOM II’s goal is to align education governance with measurable human development outcomes.

“Our goal is to build an education system that expands capability, reduces inequality, and prepares every learner to participate fully in national life,” she said.

Following the release of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), Legarda warned that the number of functionally illiterate Filipinos has surged from 14.5 million three decades ago to 24.8 million in 2024.

“This figure is deeply troubling, but it also reflects the structural burden placed on DepEd,” she said.

“DepEd now participates in 261 inter-agency bodies that meet regularly. Many laws have also expanded its mandate to support programs on health, nutrition, culture, sports, civic affairs, among others. These have overwhelmed our teachers with administrative and reporting tasks, taking time and focus away from teaching. Indeed, education is central to all aspects of governance and national development, but we must give the department space for teaching.”

She called for a full review of DepEd’s structure and workload to remove non-teaching burdens from teachers and school heads.

“We cannot solve illiteracy with teachers buried in paperwork. They must have the time, training, and tools to teach,” she said.

Legarda also advocated for data-driven targeting to address learning gaps using FLEMMS data, classroom-based assessments, and learning poverty indicators.

“Educational equity means directing support to where it is most needed. Our next steps must make use of data to guide where we build classrooms, assign teachers, and deploy interventions,” she said.

She further pushed for the full implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program under Republic Act No. 12028, which she co-authored.

The ARAL program targets learning loss and supports students in attaining grade-level competencies, especially in reading, mathematics, and science.

“When children are taught beyond their current level of understanding, they lose confidence and interest. A level-appropriate approach is essential,” Legarda added.

She also flagged the nationwide shortage of over 147,000 classrooms as a major barrier to effective learning.

“When classrooms are simply not available, learning stops before it begins. Expanding and improving these spaces is the most direct investment we can make in learning itself,” she said.

“The rise in functional illiteracy is not a failure of effort, but a consequence of an overloaded and inefficient system,” Legarda said.

“DepEd must be strengthened through rationalized functions, data-informed policies, and sufficient infrastructure to restore focus on teaching and ensure that every Filipino child gains the literacy and understanding that define true education,” she concluded.