SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 5 Aug) — Agusan del Sur has emerged as the leader in literacy rates in the Caraga Region, according to the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The province recorded the highest basic literacy rate in the region at 91.2%, surpassing other provinces and the highly urbanized city of Butuan.
Overall, approximately 87.9% of Caraganons aged five years and older, or about 9 in 10 individuals, demonstrated basic literacy, equating to around 2.24 million people out of the 2.55 million individuals in the same age group who can read, write, and perform basic mathematical operations.
PSA released the FLEMMS report to the media on June 30.
Nationwide, the 2024 FLEMMS results revealed that 90.0 percent or 9 out of 10 Filipinos aged five (5) years and over had basic literacy.
This translates to approximately 93.09 million individuals aged 5 years and over who can read, write, and compute out of the estimated 103.46 million individuals in the same age group.
The functional literacy rate in 2024 was recorded at 70.8 percent or about 7 out of 10 individuals aged 10 to 64 years were functionally literate.
This translates to around 60.17 million individuals aged 10 to 64 years who can read, write, compute, and comprehend out of the estimated 85 million individuals in the same age group.
While Agusan del Sur topped the region’s basic literacy rates, Agusan del Norte had the lowest at 84.4%. The survey also revealed gender differences, with females exhibiting a higher basic literacy rate of 89.6%, compared to 86.2% for males.
In addition to basic literacy, the survey also assessed functional literacy, which encompasses reading, writing, computing, and comprehension skills.
The functional literacy rate in Caraga stood at 63.1%, indicating that roughly 6 out of 10 individuals aged 10 to 64 years old possess functional literacy, translating to about 1.31 million people out of the 2.07 million individuals in this age group.
Butuan City recorded the highest functional literacy rate in the region at 73.0%, while Agusan del Norte had the lowest at 55.7%. Again, females demonstrated higher functional literacy rates at 67.0%, compared to 59.5% for males.
The 2024 FLEMMS introduced a revised methodology for measuring basic and functional literacy, as approved by the PSA Board through Resolution No. 13, Series of 2024.
Basic literacy is defined as the ability to read, write, and perform basic mathematical operations, while functional literacy includes the ability to comprehend and integrate information, along with making inferences based on given data.
The results of this survey offer valuable insights into the educational landscape of the Caraga Region, underscoring the need for continued efforts to improve literacy across all provinces. (Chris V. Panganiban Sr. / MindaNews)
