The recently released 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) presents a sobering picture of the state of literacy in the Philippines. While the basic literacy rate—defined as the ability to read and write—stands at a relatively high 93.1 percent among Filipinos aged 10 to 64, the more telling statistic is that only 70.8 percent are functionally literate. In other words, nearly three out of 10 Filipinos from pre-teens to late adulthood struggle to comprehend, process, and apply information in daily life—even if they know how to read, write, and compute.

This gap between basic and functional literacy, as further highlighted by the findings of EDCOM 2, translates to an estimated 18.2 million Filipinos who are functionally illiterate. These individuals may have attended school and completed various levels of formal education, but still lack the critical thinking and comprehension skills necessary to navigate everyday challenges, whether reading medication instructions, understanding a news article, or making sense of financial documents.

The implications are far-reaching. Functional illiteracy is not just an educational issue—it is a social and economic concern that affects employability, productivity, civic engagement, and ultimately, national development. As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. places the improvement of basic education quality high on his administration’s agenda, these findings must be treated as a call to action.

The government has made strides in recognizing the depth of the problem. Reforms are underway to review and recalibrate the K to 12 curriculum, improve teacher training, and integrate mother tongue-based multilingual education. However, much more needs to be done—and it cannot be done by the government alone.

A national effort to close the functional literacy gap must involve sustained, strategic partnerships between the public and private sectors. Businesses, non-profits, civic organizations, and media institutions all have a role to play in building a culture of reading, comprehension, and lifelong learning.

Private companies, for example, can support reading and literacy programs as part of their corporate social responsibility. Community-based initiatives such as reading camps, mobile libraries, or storytelling sessions can help children and adults alike build comprehension skills in accessible, engaging ways. Media platforms—including print, broadcast, and digital—can simplify complex information and produce educational content in Filipino and other local languages to ensure broader reach and understanding.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) must work closely with the private education sector, not only to enhance curriculum content but also to better equip teachers to teach reading for meaning—not just decoding text. Comprehension must be taught explicitly across all subjects, from elementary through high school, and reinforced through real-life applications.

Addressing functional illiteracy is not just about improving test scores or international rankings. It is about ensuring that every Filipino can make informed decisions, exercise their rights, and live with dignity. As the nation celebrates its people’s resilience and creativity, it must also commit to ensuring that every citizen—young and old—possesses the tools to understand, contribute to, and thrive in a complex world.

The numbers are a wake-up call. But more than that, they present an opportunity—for reform, for collaboration, and for the meaningful transformation of our nation’s educational landscape.