Senator Legarda asks educators to improve Filipino students' literacy, numeracy rates

Senator Loren Legarda, co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), urged education officials to address declining literacy and numeracy rates among Filipino students.

“What are we doing differently from before, and what concrete steps can we take now to improve literacy and numeracy?” Legarda asked during the Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing on March 3, emphasizing the need for better teacher training and revising literacy standards.

The 2024 functional literacy assessment among Filipinos revealed that 22 percent of adults aged 50 to 59 and 21 percent of college graduates were functionally illiterate.

The National Educators Academy of the Philippines is rolling out the Early Language Literacy and Numeracy program for kindergarten to grade 3 teachers.

However, Legarda stressed that stronger interventions are needed.

During the hearing, education officials said literacy challenges arise from multiple factors, including the removal of a developmental reading subject from the curriculum of education students in 2004.

However, Legarda said the curriculum for education students do not have to rely heavily on classical literary texts as literacy benchmarks, emphasizing that literacy should go beyond literary comprehension.

She proposed including a functional literacy test in the job placement process to identify workers who may be ill-prepared for teaching positions.

Legarda said individuals’ skills should match job requirements.

While tools may be available to improve indviduals' skills, proper access and literacy seminars are needed, she said.

Turning to teachers’ workloads, Legarda said educators cannot teach effectively if they are weighed down by administrative tasks.

“How do we take out the load, administrative duties of teachers, not totally, just so that they could focus on teaching and not the admin stuff,” Legarda asked, highlighting the need to free teachers from excessive paperwork.

The Department of Education (DepEd) said the number of forms that teachers have to fill out is now only 70 percent of the previous load. The DepEd expects digitalization to streamline processes further.

Legarda suggested tapping government programs such as the Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD), which provides short-term emergency employment for disadvantaged workers.

She also suggest hiring interns to assist principals and teachers with administrative task and give educators more time to focus on literacy and numeracy instruction.

She likewise called for continued Senate hearings on the issue to ensure that curriculum reforms match practical solutions and meet literacy objectives.

-Paraluman News