THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has clarified that 5.58 million Filipino high school graduates are “functionally illiterate”—able to read, write, and compute but lacking comprehension—after earlier reports mistakenly cited 18.9 million.
That higher figure, mentioned during an April 30 Senate hearing, actually referred to those who are merely “basically literate,” not functionally so, according to the PSA’s 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Study (FLEMMS).
In its Tuesday statement, the PSA explained that “basically literate” individuals can perform fundamental reading, writing, and arithmetic tasks, while “functionally literate” persons must also demonstrate understanding of the material.
Under FLEMMS 2024’s updated criteria, comprehension is now a required skill.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate basic education committee, has linked low literacy levels to persistent poverty in several provinces.
Drawing on PSA data, he estimated that some 24.82 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 are functionally illiterate. He further noted that 5.86 million in the same age bracket are “basically illiterate,” lacking even the most elementary literacy skills.
The PSA conducts FLEMMS every five years.
Prior to 2024, its definition of functional literacy did not explicitly include comprehension; the revised standard now ensures that basic understanding accompanies reading, writing, and computation abilities.