DepEd: Functional literacy shows gains despite stricter standards

A Department of Education (DepEd) official highlighted the positive outcomes of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), despite the introduction of stricter standards.

- BY MERLINA HERNANDO-MALIPOT

Undersecretary for Strategic Management Ronald Mendoza explained that the latest FLEMMS survey shows significant improvements in functional literacy across various regions, demonstrating the effectiveness of enhanced education initiatives and evolving assessment criteria. Thismarks a crucial step toward achieving higher literacy rates as DepEd continues to focus on refining educational standards nationwide, he said.

FLEMMS 2024

In a position paper dated May 4 and released by DepEd on Monday, May 5, Mendoza a former dean of the Ateneo School of Government-outlined the significance of functional literacy and related DepEd reforms. The paper is titled "Explaining Functional Literacy and DepEd Reforms to Boost Literacy for All." FLEMMS, Mendoza explained, is a "national survey that gathers information on basic and functional literacy rates, and the educational skill qualifications of the population." The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recently released the 2024 results, which were also discussed in various fora, including the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).

Mendoza noted that the latest results show the Philippines "maintains a strong basic literacy rate of 93.1 percent among individuals aged 10 to 64." This, he said, underscores the country's "success in ensuring that the vast majority of Filipinos can read, write, and compute-important foundational skills." However, Mendoza pointed out that the 2024 data include an "adjustment" that raises the bar on literacy by incorporating high-level comprehension skills.