Senator Urges Action on Literacy, Cultural Education Crisis

Senator Loren Legarda has renewed her call for urgent action to improve literacy and instill cultural pride among Filipino youth, citing alarming national and global education data.

Speaking at the launch of Wikaharian 2, a collaborative initiative between the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI), Legarda emphasized the critical need to prepare young Filipinos not just academically, but also culturally.

“In recent years, we have faced a crisis in the low literacy and numeracy skills of our youth,” Legarda said.

She cited findings from the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and a 2024 World Bank study showing that 91 percent of 10-year-old Filipino children are unable to read and comprehend age-appropriate short stories.

“To help address the challenge, we need creative, values-based learning interventions that are rooted in our culture,” Legarda said.

Wikaharian 2 is the latest installment in an animated educational video series targeting Grade 2 students and focused on Filipino language, history, and values.

It builds on the success of earlier episodes produced in 2022, and continues the educational mission initiated through the NCCA-KCFI partnership that began in 2020.

That initial collaboration yielded 80 short video lessons, each eight to 10 minutes long, accompanied by session guides that used Filipino stories and contexts to teach Grade 1 learners how to read.

A KCFI study in 2020 found that these episodes significantly improved literacy outcomes, particularly for at-risk readers.

“We cannot deny the crisis in the ability of young people to read and understand. But we also cannot give up on the future of our youth. That is why we are here,” said Legarda, who secured funding support for the project’s second phase.

“Every word and phrase, every folktale, and pieces of our culture and history are not just part of their learning,” she added.

“They will serve as the foundation of their identity as a Filipino who is knowledgeable, honorable, caring, proud, and has the courage to face a world full of challenges and changes.”

Wikaharian 2 aims to integrate cultural storytelling with foundational literacy skills, making learning both engaging and meaningful.

The program supports national education goals and contributes to broader calls to improve Philippine rankings in international assessments.