MANILA, Philippines — Almost half of the total number of students in Davao region including Davao City were classified as struggling readers at the start of school year (SY) 2026-2027, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).
Citing an assessment conducted by the Department of Education (DepEd) in June, EDCOM 2 said 48 percent of learners in the region and 45 percent in Davao City were found to have difficulty in reading.
Under DepEd Memorandum 64, learners at the low-emerging level have limited mastery of letters and their sounds, and struggle to blend sounds and read simple words.
The assessment showed those at the high-emerging level could recognize most letters, but continue to struggle with decoding words at their current grade level.
“These findings reflect the broader literacy challenges identified by EDCOM 2 nationwide, wherein 45 percent of assessed learners were classified as struggling readers,” EDCOM 2 said.
It said that reading proficiency declines as learners progress through school, falling from 30.52 percent in Grade 3 to 19.56 percent in Grade 6, to .74 percent in Grade 10 and to .40 percent in Grade 12.
EDCOM 2 said that results of the end-of-school-year Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment for school year 2025-2026 showed that of the five provinces in the region, Davao Occidental recorded the highest rate of struggling readers with 18.5 percent followed by Davao del Norte with 14.8 percent and Davao Oriental with 13.4 percent.
Davao de Oro recorded 10.1 percent and Davao del Sur reported 9.5 percent rate in struggling readers.
“The learning crisis did not happen overnight... it compounded over the years. We must act now to address illiteracy, especially among children in Grades 1 to 3. Every child who continues to struggle with reading needs timely support. Otherwise, they risk moving up to the next grade without fully understanding their lessons,” EDCOM 2 executive director Karol Mark Yee said.
In Davao City, 25 percent or 8,453 of assessed learners were classified as independent readers, while 29 percent or 10,097 students were at the instructional level.
Forty-six percent or 15,914 learners were classified under the frustration level, EDCOM 2 said.