DepEd focusing on students’ critical thinking amid comprehension issues

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Department of Education is finding ways to improve critical thinking among students, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said, following a report showing that millions of learners graduated despite having comprehension issues.

In a Senate hearing on Wednesday, April 30, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that 18 million students finished high school in 2024 despite being ”functionally illiterate” or those who are unable to comprehend texts properly.

This is based on the functional literacy, education, and mass media survey administered by the PSA, which gathers information on the basic and functional literacy rates, and the educational skills qualifications of the population.

The latest number was reflected after the PSA revised its parameters on the definition of functional literacy, which removed the automatic categorization of high school graduates under the old curriculum and those who completed junior high school under the K-12 system, as functionally literate.

Angara said the results showed that “literacy must be at the heart of our education reforms.”

“Kaya’t lalo naming pinatindi ang mga intervention—mula sa remedial at literacy programs, hanggang sa mas epektibong paggamit ng datos sa bawat paaralan. Nilaliman na rin namin ang teaching at assessment method. Sa halip na memorization, hinuhubog namin ang mga mag-aaral para maging critical thinker at may 21st century skills,” he said in a statement.

“Kumikilos ang DepEd para itama ang kahapon at ihanda ang bawat bata para sa mas matibay na kinabukasan,” Angara added.

[Translation: That’s why we have further intensified our interventions, from remedial and literacy programs to more effective use of data in every school. We have also deepened our teaching and assessment methods. Instead of focusing on memorization, we are shaping students to become critical thinkers equipped with 21st-century skills…DepEd is taking action to correct the past and prepare every child for a stronger future.]

Meanwhile, a teacher’s party-list also voiced concerns on the latest findings, saying the situation calls for a national emergency.

“When one out of five senior high school graduates cannot comprehend a simple story despite years of schooling, we are looking at a systemic failure that threatens our country's future. Ito ay patunay na bumabagsak ang ating sistema ng edukasyon at hindi ito nabibigyan ng sapat na atensyon ng kasalukuyang administrasyon,” France Castro, Alliance of Concerned Teacher’s party-list representative and senatorial candidate, said in a statement.

The PSA data revealed that 21% of senior high school graduates were not functionally literate.

Similar to DepEd, Castro said the approach must be centered on shaping critical thinking among learners.

“We need to focus on developing critical thinking and reading comprehension skills from the earliest grades, not just rote memorization of facts,” she said.