Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the 2026 education budget will back efforts to improve reading skills after a regional study showed Filipino students lag behind their Southeast Asian peers.
Citing the 2024 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), Gatchalian noted that 27% of Grade 5 Filipino learners have very low reading proficiency.
Only 13% reached minimum proficiency, while 14% showed high reading skills.
He said the bicameral-approved budget raised funding for textbooks and instructional materials to P19.5 billion from P11.2 billion to ensure complete textbook sets, as the study linked textbook availability to better learning outcomes.
Gatchalian also secured an additional P3.3 billion for 440,000 tutors under the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program, expected to benefit 6.7 million learners.IMT
