Filipino students 4 to 5 years behind expected literacy standards

MANILA, Philippines – A new report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) revealed an unsettling fact: public school students are lagging four to five years behind the expected literacy curriculum.

“In school visits this year, we found some Grades 8 and 9 students struggling to meet competencies that they should have learned as early as Grade 4,” said EDCOM 2 in its Year Two Report, “Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival,” released on Monday, January 27.

EDCOM 2 said the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem, citing an upcoming study by the United Nations Children’s Fund, which found that before the pandemic, Filipino students exiting Grade 3 were already a full year behind curriculum expectations in literacy.

“The pandemic widened the gap to up to three years. Unchecked, these deficits compound into lifelong handicaps,” the commission said.

Graph from EDCOM 2 report

The Philippines was the last country to reopen schools amid the pandemic. For two school years, distance learning was implemented, and it wasn’t until 2022 that schools reopened for face-to-face classes, a year later than other countries.

The implementation of distance learning by the Department of Education (DepEd) was heavily criticized due to unpreparedness and erroneous learning modules. The system relied on either asynchronous modular learning or synchronous online classes, but issues with internet access and technology posed additional challenges.

ALSO ON RAPPLER

• Distance learning in the Philippines: A year of hits and misses
• Distance learning, year 2: Parents ask for gadgets for struggling students

Citing the Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, EDCOM 2 also noted that “only as little as 31% had the basic literacy skills of reading and writing” among college students.

“Notably, this was worse for those aged 50 to 70 years old (see Figure 3), suggesting that our learning crisis has in fact gone on, perhaps also unchecked, for much longer than we have noticed,” the commission added.

Graph from EDCOM 2 report

For school year 2023-2024, EDCOM 2 found that frequent class suspensions and flooding compounded the “pandemic-induced learning loss.”

Learning loss, according to the Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, “occurs when students lose knowledge and skills generally or specifically or there is an academic impediment due to prolonged gaps or the discontinuation of the educational process.”

The excessive heat during the dry season of 2024 prompted the Philippine government to revert to the old academic calendar, with classes starting in June and ending in March or April. But critics argued that this move was merely a stopgap solution, as June and July are rainy months, also resulting in class disruptions. (READ: Why reverting to old academic calendar is just a ‘stopgap’ measure)

“To meet learning outcomes despite these disruptions, schools must foster conducive learning environments and provide adaptive support for their students,” EDCOM 2 said in its report.

To improve basic education, EDCOM 2 has recommended that the government focus on curriculum and instruction, school infrastructure, Alternative Learning System or ALS, and home and school environment.

You can access the Year Two Report here. – Rappler.com