TACLOBAN CITY – Seventeen out of every 20 individuals aged five years and older in Eastern Visayas are considered basic literate, according to the results of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA reported that 85.1 percent, or around 3.78 million out of 4.44 million individuals in the region’s 5 years and older age group, can read, write, and perform basic mathematical operations—skills that fall under the definition of basic literacy.
The remaining 11.1 percent, or about one in every nine persons, are considered illiterate, while 3.8 percent are classified as low literate—those who can read and write but not compute.
Basic literacy is defined as the ability to read and write a simple message in any language or dialect with understanding, and to compute or perform basic mathematical operations. Functional literacy, on the other hand, includes comprehension, such as making inferences and integrating information.
Among the provinces, Leyte (excluding Tacloban City) posted the highest basic literacy rate at 88.6 percent, followed closely by Tacloban City at 88.3 percent. Northern Samar recorded the lowest at 74.9 percent.
By sex, females had a higher basic literacy rate at 87.3 percent compared to 83.1 percent among males. Individuals aged 20 to 24 years registered the highest literacy at 94.9 percent, while those 60 years and older had the lowest at 61.1 percent.
In terms of education level, those who attained college education or higher recorded a 97.6 percent basic literacy rate. Those with no grade completed or only early childhood education had the lowest at 39.6 percent.
Meanwhile, the region’s functional literacy rate—which includes the ability to comprehend and apply information—was recorded at 61.8 percent among individuals aged 10 to 64 years. This means about 2.21 million out of 3.57 million people in that age range can not only read, write, and compute but also comprehend.
Similar to basic literacy, females had a higher functional literacy rate at 67.0 percent than males at 57.0 percent. The highest rate was observed among the 20 to 24 age group at 73.6 percent, while the lowest was among those aged 60 to 64, at 35.8 percent.
Individuals who completed college or higher education posted the highest functional literacy at 82.0 percent, while those with no schooling or only early childhood education recorded just 2.2 percent.
The province of Leyte also led in functional literacy with 67.9 percent, while Northern Samar again had the lowest at 51.8 percent. Tacloban City posted a functional literacy rate of 63.9 percent.
The PSA noted a significant gap between basic and functional literacy in the region.
Among individuals aged 10 to 64 years, 89.6 percent were basic literate, but only 61.8 percent were functionally literate—indicating a gap of 27.8 percentage points.
The widest gap was found among those aged 60 to 64 years, highlighting difficulties in comprehension despite the ability to read and write.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
