PH earns award for significant contribution to world literacy by a gov't
The Philippines received an award for Significant Contribution to World Literacy by a Government at the 2025 World Literacy Awards in London.
Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teodoro Locsin Jr. accepted the award in Oxford on April 7. The Philippines was the only country honored at the awards.
Presented by the World Literacy Foundation, the World Literacy Awards puts a spotlight on individuals and organizations and their efforts to promote literacy.
The Department of Education was commended for its initiatives, specifically with its establishment of 300 literacy centers in 1,634 cities and municipalities.
DepEd launches summer learning programs
Apart from the recognition, DepEd has launched its summer learning programs to address learning gaps before school year 2025 to 2026 opens.
This year's program will focus on topics such as phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension in reading and number sense, basic operations, and problem-solving in mathematics.
Education secretary Sonny Angara said that these lessons are designed "to provide the necessary support and resources to help learners overcome challenges and achieve their full potential."
Mandatory attendance to specific summer programs shall be imposed on learners who were identified as "needing targeted support," while others may also join.
DepEd will pilot the "Bawat Bata Makababasa Program,' a 20-day tutorial for early-grade learners in Grades 1 to 3 in Region 9 and select divisions in Regions 6 and 7, which were affected by the recent Mt. Kanlaon eruption.
Grade 3 learners identified as "low emerging' in the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment may join the Literacy Remediation program, which will be implemented in all regions except Region 9, affected divisions in Regions 6 and 7, and the 10 schools in the 2025 Learning Camp.
For learners in Grades 4 to 12 who failed one or two subjects in the school year, the DepEd is launching the Summer Academic Remedial Program.
The Philippines ranked among the lowest in a test on creative thinking by the Program for International Student Assessment.
The 2022 PISA study assessed 15-year-old students in 64 countries on their capacity to think creatively and out of the box in different contexts.
In the ranking, the Philippines was among the lowest-performing countries in the 63rd spot with a mean score of 14. This is below the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average of 33. (with reports from Pia Lee-Brago, Elizabeth Marcelo)
