By Kaye Chienny G. Estampa |
Photo by Carmel Deligos
Nine of ten Filipino youths lack basic reading comprehension, this revealed an unsettling yet realistic representation of the country’s overall competencies. Despite how educated Filipinos are, it exposes the fragile number of Filipino students struggling to meet reading and writing standards. Thus, it is another crucial factor hampering the emergence of the education sector; the need for Filipino students to go “back-to-basics” starts now.
Among the participating countries, the Philippines landed in the bottom 10 out of 81 countries in reading comprehension and other subjects and showed minimal improvement, as the results of the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test revealed. On the contrary, further findings indicate that Filipino students scored 120 points less than the average score in the 2022 PISA assessment. Not to mention, hardly 10 percent of them achieved the reading proficiency needed for the easy transition to secondary education. In addition, the assessment registered a 4.3 percent decline in reading comprehension proficiency levels.
That said, such an alarming rate shows the crumbling of the learners' basic grasp on literacy and the effort it takes to reach the level of global standards. Giving students a solid ground in critical literacy is one way. However, certain factors make it hard for this "critical" and "quality" literacy to work smoothly. Now is the time to take the initiative to address the decline of literacy rates in the Philippines.
One factor that makes Filipino students illiterate is their uncontrollable habit of using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Why? Simply put, this "habit" therefore results from the lack of exposure to proper expository texts and information. Most of them do not know how to understand the text as they read the information without critical thinking, thus resulting in misinformation. On top of that, most of the youth's minds seem to operate on a "what you see is what you get" basis. Now, that should not be the case in this increasingly digital world. Fact checks should be emphasized not only for the youth but also for the uneducated Pinoys.
Furthermore, a 10-year-old tweet that recently resurfaced online speaks volumes about Filipino learners' aversion to reading. David Licauco, a Filipino actor, proudly tweeted what was in it for him in "studying Jose Rizal's life for tomorrow's finals." Licauco's tweet is more than what can be said amongst this generation's learners. The tweets further showcase the absence of motivation in reading and emphasize the need for more engagement in reading amongst the learners. It is unfathomable how the youth can be the "future's hope." Is there hope for the nine out of ten Filipino youth lacking basic reading and writing skills?
Another major culprit hindering "critical literacy" is the students' severe scarcity of books or reading materials. As stated by a report by Inquirer (2020), the ratio of students to books is three-is-to-one (3:1), meaning three students are pitifully sharing one book. Percentage-wise, only 33 percent of all students have books. Another point is that approximately 15 percent of elementary and early high school students are classified as "nonreaders." This factor should be urgently addressed, and public funds should be allocated for printing books and building public libraries for the student's interests.
To further remedy the students' deficiency in literacy, a controversial move should be taken with direct action already: the educators, government officials, stakeholders, and those individuals in the Philippine education system should and must "soul-search" to examine how they have been educating, or thereby miseducating the Filipino youth. To meet the average scores on standardized international assessments, break the habit of improper flow of texts, and have a ray of hope for literacy is to start reverting to advanced literacy curriculums.
One great solution is also boosting Filipino youths' reading and writing skills. Specifically, students should not only stop reading academic-related textbooks and references; instead, they should be encouraged to read for pleasure, not pressure. This course of action can be done by implementing literacy programs, teacher training, and engaging reading materials to improve literacy skills among Filipino learners. With this, building a reading habit comes with excellent writing.
In summary, these evident realities of low literacy rates defined the illiterate minds of Filipino youths. It demonstrates the minds who have been taught the wrong way, the wrong interests, and the wrong proficiency. It exposes the fragility of a society in which, if unable to read and write, are incapable of critical thinking and taking proactive steps. The clock is now ticking towards the finest battle of - “the rocky path to quality literacy”.