A Crisis That Can No Longer Be Ignored
The latest results of the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA) conducted at the start of School Year 2025–2026 have revealed a deeply troubling reality: a literacy crisis gripping many parts of Mindanao, particularly the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The data shows that several of the country’s highest percentages of struggling readers are concentrated in the region—despite education receiving the largest share of the Bangsamoro government’s budget.
Tawi-Tawi tops the national list with a staggering 75.60 percent of learners classified as struggling readers. It is followed by Maguindanao del Norte at 65.38 percent, the Special Geographic Area at 64.49 percent, and Sulu at 59.63 percent. Maguindanao del Sur ranks seventh with 58.46 percent, while Lamitan City and Basilan follow closely with 57.77 percent and 57.59 percent respectively. Cotabato City also appears among the highest with 55.05 percent.
Even beyond BARMM, other Mindanao provinces also register alarming figures. Sarangani ranks fifth with 60.57 percent struggling readers, while Davao Occidental records 57.17 percent. Davao del Norte stands at 54.06 percent, and South Cotabato posts 52.06 percent.
The pattern is unmistakable: Mindanao dominates the list of areas with the highest percentages of struggling readers in the country.
These numbers demand serious reflection—and even tougher questions.
The Budget Question: Where Is the Money Going?
Education consistently receives the largest share of the BARMM regional budget. Billions of pesos have been allocated to improve access to education, strengthen institutions, and support learners across the region.
Yet the outcomes reflected in the CRLA results appear to contradict these investments.
If education spending is at historic highs, why are literacy outcomes still among the worst in the nation? How much of the education budget actually reaches classrooms in the form of teachers, books, and learning materials? And how much is absorbed by administrative structures, programs, and operational expenses that do not directly improve reading proficiency among young learners?
These are not accusations—they are questions that responsible governance must confront.
Public funds must translate into measurable outcomes. When they do not, accountability becomes necessary.
A Systemic Governance Challenge
The literacy crisis in BARMM cannot simply be dismissed as a consequence of poverty or geographic isolation. While these factors undeniably play a role, they cannot fully explain why literacy outcomes remain critically low even after years of expanded autonomy and increased fiscal resources.
The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) carries the enormous responsibility of steering the region’s education system. But the CRLA findings suggest that existing policies, programs, or implementation strategies may not be producing the intended results.
Are literacy interventions reaching the classrooms that need them the most? Are teachers receiving adequate training to teach foundational reading skills? Are schools in remote communities receiving sufficient learning materials and support?
More importantly, are literacy programs being monitored, evaluated, and adjusted based on real evidence of what works?
Without honest answers to these questions, the region risks repeating the same cycle of funding programs that fail to deliver real change.
The Lanao del Sur Puzzle
One detail in the CRLA data stands out and deserves careful examination. While most BARMM provinces appear among the highest struggling-reader divisions, Lanao del Sur presents a different picture.
Lanao del Sur Division I reports only 33.50 percent struggling readers—one of the lowest in the entire country. Meanwhile, Lanao del Sur Division II records 47.65 percent, significantly lower than neighboring provinces.
This raises an important question: what is Lanao del Sur doing differently?
Are there stronger education leaders at the division level? Are literacy programs implemented more effectively? Are teachers better supported, or are community and parental involvement stronger?
If Lanao del Sur has found approaches that produce better literacy outcomes, then these practices should be carefully studied and replicated across other provinces in the region.
Instead of asking why some areas are failing, perhaps the more productive question is why one area appears to be succeeding.
A National Learning Crisis
The alarming data from Mindanao also reflects a broader national problem.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), created through Republic Act 11899, was tasked with conducting a comprehensive assessment of the Philippine education system from 2023 to 2025. Its work builds upon earlier warnings from global assessments.
According to the World Bank’s 2022 report on global learning poverty, the Philippines has one of the highest learning poverty rates in Asia at 90.9 percent. This means that nine out of ten Filipino children aged 10 cannot read and understand a simple text appropriate for their age.
The 2019 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) further reinforced the scale of the problem, with Filipino students ranking lowest in reading and near the bottom in mathematics and science among 79 participating countries.
The CRLA findings therefore do not exist in isolation—they are part of a larger national education crisis.
The Cost of Ignoring Literacy
Reading is the foundation of all learning. Without basic literacy, students struggle not only in language subjects but in mathematics, science, and social studies. Eventually, the consequences extend beyond the classroom.
Poor literacy undermines workforce readiness, economic productivity, and national competitiveness. It deepens inequality and traps communities in cycles of poverty.
For regions already facing economic and development challenges, the cost of ignoring literacy becomes even more severe.
A Call for Honest Reflection and Reform
The CRLA results should not be treated as a mere statistical report to be filed away in government offices. They should serve as a wake-up call.
Billions in public funds are being invested in education. The people—especially the children whose futures depend on these investments—deserve to see real improvements in learning outcomes.
This moment calls for honest reflection, transparent evaluation of programs, and decisive reforms that prioritize foundational literacy above all else.
The hardest question remains the simplest: if billions are spent on education every year yet millions of Filipino children still cannot read, who will take responsibility for fixing the system?
Until that question is answered with courage and action, the literacy crisis will continue—and the country’s children will continue to pay the price.