Nine out of Ten Filipino Children Can’t Read — That’s a Big Problem for All of Us
“Why don’t you just read the name of the chips?”I asked the child since we’d been going back and forth as he kept pointing at what he wanted to buy and I kept picking the wrong ones after many attempts. He couldn’t read, he admitted. “What grade are you in?” I probed. Grade four, he said. I had similar conversations with three other children who were buying from our store; grade three to four pupils who couldn’t read. When my husband remarked, “Ha, you’re in grade four yet you cannot read!”, one child proudly answered, “Even my classmates don’t know how to read!”
It’s one problem when a 10-year-old can’t read. It’s a bigger problem when he’s not bothered since the majority of his classmates can’t read too.
Even more bothersome, there are high school teachers who complain that they have students who can’t read. If a grade one pupil can’t read, it’s understandable. There are factors that contribute to how fast a child learns how to read and it’s important to allow a child to learn at their own pace. But if a high school student cannot read, it is our failure as a society.
Our observation reflects studies. The World Bank reported in 2022 that 9 in 10 Filipinos in late primary age cannot read well. The two years of remote learning made the learning gaps worse…
