To address the disparity between the Philippines' high literacy rates and its low standings in international assessments, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara has called for a comprehensive examination of the literacy measurement methods employed in other countries.
On Sept. 30, Angara chaired the 157th meeting of the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC), where council members and representatives convened to review current literacy initiatives.
The meeting included presentations highlighting the Council’s recent achievements and plans, focusing on enhancing both basic and functional literacy across the nation.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) provided updates on the upcoming Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), which aims to reach 720,000 individuals from 180,336 households.
Angara then emphasized the need for further analysis of international literacy measurement standards to reconcile the discrepancies between the country's reported literacy rates and its performance in global assessments.
In addition to Angara, the meeting was attended by council members, including Congressman Roman Romulo, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Director-General Jose Torres Jr., Philippine Normal University (PNU) President Dr. Bert Tuga, and Synergia Foundation Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Milwida Guevara.
Other attendees representing various council members included DepEd Assistant Secretary Janir Ty Datukan, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Director Anna Liza Bonagua, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director Girlie Grace Casimiro-Igtiben, and PIA representatives Darrel Winthrop Torres and Josephine Babaran, along with Dr. Maria Azela Tamayo from PNU and Adnan P. Ahmad from the Office of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian.