The government must urgently tap into a ready yet often overlooked resource—unemployed new college graduates—to combat a silent crisis gripping the nation: widespread functional illiteracy among high school graduates. Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña sounded the call on Friday, proposing these graduates become emergency tutors for over 18 million Filipino students struggling not just with reading and writing, but with deeper comprehension.
“While long-term educational reforms take time, we must act now,” Cendaña urged. “Mobilizing thousands of jobless graduates as literacy tutors can kill two birds with one stone: address illiteracy and provide immediate employment.”
The urgency is clear. The Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) revealed a staggering 5.8 million Filipinos remain “basic illiterate.” This harsh reality shines a spotlight on decades of neglect and inequality, particularly in underserved, remote, and conflict-affected regions.
Chel Diokno, Akbayan’s first nominee, called the survey results “both alarming and heartbreaking.” He stressed that education must become the government’s top priority. “A whole-of-nation approach is critical,” he said. “The Department of Education, local governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities must unite to end this crisis—now.”
Former Senator Bam Aquino, eyeing a comeback in the 2025 elections, echoed the call for collective action. “This is one of the biggest crises we face. We need to help each other.”
Meanwhile, Kabataan party-list’s first nominee, lawyer Renee Co, pointed fingers at the K-to-12 curriculum, blaming it for the rise in comprehension failures among students. Adding two extra years to high school was meant to boost employability, but instead, Co said, it overwhelmed students with too many conflicting requirements.
“Students are exhausted,” Co said bluntly. “With insufficient classrooms and facilities, they simply can’t learn properly.”
The new curriculum’s heavy focus on productivity and work immersion worsens the problem. “Students rush just to submit requirements, not to truly understand lessons. They end up reading and writing without critical thinking skills. This fosters academic dishonesty.”
Co urged lawmakers to scrap the K-to-12 program altogether. “We must stop training students to be mere cogs for big business. Our curriculum should reflect the real needs and capacities of Filipino youth.”
The call to action is clear: education reform cannot wait. By empowering unemployed graduates to tutor struggling learners, the nation can fight illiteracy head-on—while giving fresh graduates a lifeline amid tough job markets. The future of millions of Filipinos depends on it.