EDCOM 2: 45% of Davao City learners are struggling readers at start of school year
A congressional education commission cited DepEd assessment data showing 48% of Davao Region learners and 45% in Davao City fell into the two lowest reading levels in June.
Forty-five percent of learners assessed in Davao City at the opening of school year 2026-2027 were classified as struggling readers, according to Department of Education (DepEd) data analysed by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), Philstar reported.
Across Region XI, the share was 48%. EDCOM 2 released its analysis on Tuesday, October 27, and urged local governments to help close literacy gaps in the region. The figures come from DepEd's Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), conducted at the start of classes in June.
Struggling readers are those in the test's two lowest levels, known as "emerging readers." Under DepEd guidelines, low-emerging readers have limited mastery of letters and their sounds, while high-emerging readers recognise most letters but still have difficulty decoding words at their grade level.
Results from the previous school year showed wide differences between localities. In Talaingod, Davao del Norte, 49.6% of Grades 1 to 3 pupils, or 1,184 children, were still struggling readers in the end-of-year assessment in March, about twice the rate of any other municipality in the region.
"Every child who continues to struggle with reading needs timely support," EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said, warning that otherwise learners risk being promoted without fully understanding their lessons.
The regional figures are close to the national picture. EDCOM 2 said 45% of learners assessed nationwide at the start of the current school year were struggling readers. Its data also showed reading proficiency declining in higher grades, from 30.52% in Grade 3 to 19.56% in Grade 6, 0.74% in Grade 10 and 0.40% in Grade 12.
DepEd said in May that struggling readers across all grade levels dropped from 6.7 million at the start of school year 2025-2026 to 2.2 million by its end, crediting intensified learning recovery programmes. In March, EDCOM 2 reported that all 10 school divisions with the highest shares of struggling readers at the start of last school year were in Mindanao, and it released a playbook to help mayors manage education in their localities.
Why it matters for Davao
Nearly half of Davao City learners assessed this school year still lack basic reading skills, and EDCOM 2 is calling on local governments, including the city, to help address the gap.
This article was written by the DavaoNews desk with AI assistance, using reporting by Philstar. Facts come from the original report, which we credit and link below. Our editorial policy
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