Cebu Province Faces Literacy Challenge as Over 31,600 Early-Grade Learners Struggle to Read

More than 31,600 learners in the early grades across Cebu Province ended School Year 2025-2026 struggling with basic reading skills, underscoring the need for stronger literacy interventions and improved childhood nutrition, according to data presented by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2).

Based on the Department of Education’s Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment, 11.3 percent of assessed learners in Grades 1 to 3 in Cebu Province were classified as struggling readers. The assessment covers Key Stage 1, a critical period for developing foundational reading skills.

The assessment divides learners into five reading proficiency levels. Those classified under Low Emerging and High Emerging are considered struggling readers.

In the Schools Division Office of Cebu alone, approximately 13,300 learners, or 11 percent of those assessed, fell into the struggling-reader category. Although this rate is only slightly higher than the national average of 10 percent, the division recorded the third-highest number of struggling readers among school divisions nationwide.

Meanwhile, only 26 percent of early-grade learners in Cebu Province were assessed as ready for their grade level. This is significantly below the national baseline of 47.74 percent recorded in the previous school year.

The figures point to a major challenge for the province as the national government seeks to improve learning outcomes and ensure children acquire essential reading skills before advancing to higher grade levels.

Literacy difficulties also vary across local government units. Talisay recorded the highest struggling-reader rate at 22.5 percent, followed by Balamban and Liloan at 17.6 percent each. Consolacion posted a rate of 16.2 percent.

Nutrition linked to learning difficulties

Edcom 2 has identified early childhood nutrition as a key factor affecting children’s readiness to learn, pointing to the long-term consequences of malnutrition on cognitive development.

A 2025 report from the National Nutrition Council estimated that around 25,000 children below five years old in Cebu Province were stunted.

Stunting, which results from chronic undernutrition, can affect brain development and a child’s ability to learn. Research cited in the report indicates that cognitive damage associated with stunting after a child reaches 24 months of age cannot be reversed. Children affected by stunting are also 16 percent more likely to fail a grade later in life.

These early developmental setbacks can contribute to difficulties in acquiring basic literacy skills once children enter school.

Education advocates have warned that reading problems left unaddressed before Grade 4 can become more pronounced in succeeding years. Students who fail to develop adequate reading comprehension early may later struggle with the more complex lessons and learning requirements of junior and senior high school.

The findings highlight the importance of addressing malnutrition and literacy gaps together, rather than treating them as separate concerns.

National education targets

The National Education Plan 2026-2035 sets a target of increasing the proportion of early-grade learners who are ready for their grade level to 75 percent by 2028.

With Cebu Province’s current readiness rate at 26 percent, the province faces a substantial gap to close to align with the national target within the next two years.

Edcom 2 officials said local governments need measurable goals to determine the interventions, funding and resources required to improve children’s nutrition and learning outcomes.

“If these are our national targets, what targets will Cebu as a province set in terms of reducing stunting, improving access to early childhood education and also addressing illiteracy at Grade 3? Is it improving by five or 10 percent? Whichever the number is, it is important to quantify so that we know how much effort and resources we all need to bring together, to ensure that no Cebuano child is left behind,” said Edcom 2 executive director Dr. Karol Mark Yee.

Setting local targets would allow officials to track progress in reducing stunting, expanding early childhood education and improving reading proficiency among young learners.

Reading interventions and local monitoring

Addressing the literacy gap will require both preventive measures and direct interventions for children already experiencing reading difficulties.

Improved nutrition and access to early childhood care can help prepare children for formal education, while structured reading programs can provide additional support to students who have fallen behind.

Edcom 2 identified the Department of Education’s Accelerated Reading and Learning Program as one possible intervention for struggling learners. However, expanding such programs would require trained teachers and tutors, sufficient time for reading instruction, appropriate learning materials and reliable methods of identifying students who need additional assistance.

Local governments and education officials will also need to monitor whether these interventions are reaching the children who need them most.

To support this effort, Edcom 2 maintains an Early Childhood Dashboard that tracks indicators covering literacy, nutrition and access to child development centers at the barangay and school levels.

The data can help local officials identify communities with greater needs and guide the allocation of resources for education and nutrition programs.

Yee said Cebu has several potential partners that could help accelerate improvements, including universities, civil society organizations and local government units.

“With many universities in Cebu, the active engagement of civil society organizations such as Rafi and the determination of the local government, I am sure that Cebu can make significant progress in education and nutrition in the years ahead,” Yee added.

The commission’s findings underscore the need for coordinated action among schools, local governments, health and nutrition agencies, and community organizations to improve school readiness and ensure more Cebuano children develop essential reading skills during their early years.