Mandaue City and Cebu City frontrunners in basic literacy

The cities of Mandaue and Cebu have emerged as frontrunners in basic literacy among the Philippines' highly urbanized cities (HUCs), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

- - Jonnavie Villa/JG

According to the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), Mandaue City recorded a basic literacy rate of 95.2 percent, securing the fifth spot nationwide, while Cebu City followed closely with 94.7 percent, ranking eighth.

While Mandaue and Cebu cities excelled among HUCs, provinces like Apayao and Benguet lead in both basic and functional literacy rates nationwide.

Apayao achieved a basic literacy rate of 95.2 percent, while Benguet recorded the highest functional literacy rate at 87.9 percent.

With the recent recognition, DepEd-7 Director Salustiano Jimenez, in an interview, pointed to the tangible support provided by local governments as a major contributor to the cities' literacy achievements.