Kids who can't read put PHL's status as call center hub at risk

THE Philippine call center industry is a juggernaut, employing over a million and generating billions in revenue.

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CARLA JOYCE ESPINO at her home with her child in Hagonoy, Bulacan.

(GERIC CRUZ/BLOOMBERG)

Its workers’ voices are a familiar sound for callers from around the world, the nation’s deep pool of English speakers underpinning the country’s rise into a global hub for customer service outsourcing.Artificial intelligence is shaping up to be a huge disruptive force but another, more insidious problem is emerging — an education system that’s producing graduates who were never properly taught to read in the first place.

Nestor Flores, the chief executive officer of Abba Personnel Services, Inc.,a Philippines-based recruitment firm specializing in overseas placements, said the most noticeable gaps are in math and English, particularly in comprehension, grammar, and vocabulary.

“We administer a written exam as part of our hiring process. It’s essentially the same exam we've used for many years, yet it appears to be more difficult for applicants to pass today,” Mr. Flores said.

According to a three-year review of the country’s education system that culminated in January with the release of the Second Congressional Commission on Education report, nine in 10 Filipino children can’t read and understand a simple text by age 10. The failure persists throughout high school, leaving millions of students effectively functionally illiterate by the time they graduate.

It’s an educational crisis that’s already holding back the potential of the call center-dominated outsourcing industry, Jack Madrid, president of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines, said.

“Communication is more than just English fluency, it’s comprehension,” Mr. Madrid said. “Regardless of whether you're in healthcare or banking, you need to be able to comprehend because the type of work our global customers expect from us is problem solving. This is no longer directory assistance.”