The province of Iloilo had the lowest basic and functional literacy rates in Western Visayas for 2024, according to a survey conducted by thePhilippine Statistics Authority (PSA-6).
PSA’s Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) showed that the province posted a basic literacy rate of 88.6 percent.
Basic literacy refers to the “ability of a person to read and write in any language or dialect with understanding, and to compute or perform basic mathematical operations.”
Aklan province recorded the highest basic literacy rate in the region at 92.1 percent, followed by Guimaras, 91.2%; Antique, 90.1%; Iloilo City, 89.9%; and Capiz, 89.3%.
“In Western Visayas, 89.6 percent or about nine out of 10 individuals aged 5 years and over are basically literate or one who can read and write in simple message in any language or dialect with understanding and to compute or perform basic mathematical operations,” PSA-6 chief statistical specialist Marlene Alviar said during the regional dissemination forum on Thursday, June 5.
In terms of functional literacy, Iloilo province logged a 68.4 percent rate, the lowest in the region.
Functional literacy is defined is “the ability of a person to read, write, compute, and comprehend.” It “includes higher level of comprehension skills, such as integrating two or more pieces of information and making inferences based on the given information.”
Aklan also registered the highest functional literacy rate in the region at 73.9%, followed by Antique, 73.8%; Guimaras, 73%; Capiz, 70.9%; and Iloilo City, 70.7%.
The whole region posted a functional literacy rate of 70.6 percent, or about seven out of 10 individuals are functional literate.
The survey covered 8,497 households and 27,754 eligible respondents in the region, reaching a 98.42 percent response rate.
FLEMMS is conducted every three years.IMT
