Writing off our future

Our political leaders over the past 70 years have plenty to atone for. They have caused the biggest tragedy that has befallen our people: a dim future because of the utter failure of our educational system.

- BOO CHANCO

According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), approximately 18.96 million individuals who completed junior or senior high school are functionally illiterate. That means many students graduate without essential comprehension skills—they can read but have difficulty understanding what they read.

Our senior high school graduates should be ready for work. But Assistant National Statistician Adrian Cerezo disclosed in a Senate hearing that only 79 percent of senior high school graduates nationwide in 2024 are functionally literate. That's proof of serious gaps in the education system's effectiveness.

It would be safe to assume that even those who passed PSA's functional literacy standards, their ability to go beyond those basics would be low. No wonder BPO recruiters complain that they can only hire at most, two out of 10 job applicants.

Actually, a good number of senators and congressmen also have difficulty understanding what they read. I have covered both houses of Congress in better times but even then, many of them just sign bills they co-sponsor without reading. Few understand the implications of what they signed.

I asked ChatGPT what's the latest on literacy.

"National functional literacy rate: As of 2024, 70.8 percent of Filipinos aged 10 to 64 are functionally literate, or approximately 60.17 million individuals. This marks a significant decline from the 91.6 percent rate reported in 2019.