10 percent of pupils in Grades 1-3 are struggling readers

MANILA, Philippines — Ten percent of Grades 1 to 3 learners are struggling readers, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM2).

Based on the End-of-School-Year 2025-2026 assessment, EDCOM2 said 10 percent of the 5,127,670 learners covered were still struggling to read.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao recorded the highest proportion of struggling readers at 25.5 percent, followed by Soccsksargen at 17.7 percent and the Zamboanga Peninsula at 14.7 percent, according to the EDCOM2 Early Childhood Dashboard.

Bicol ranked fourth at 12 percent, followed by the Davao region at 11.7 percent and Mimaropa at 11.3 percent.

The Negros Island Region and Central Visayas both recorded 10.4 percent, while Caraga had 10 percent, Ilocos 9.4 percent, Northern Mindanao 9.3 percent, Cagayan Valley 8.6 percent, Western Visayas 8.2 percent, Central Luzon 7.9 percent, Eastern Visayas 7.2 percent and Calabarzon 6.7 percent.

The Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region recorded the lowest proportions of struggling readers at 5.3 percent each.

In Davao del Sur, struggling readers accounted for 9.5 percent of learners, while Davao City recorded 9.3 percent, EDCOM2 said.

Meanwhile, only 25 percent of senior high school students in Davao City were considered independent readers based on the Senior High School Learning Needs Assessment results for EOSY 2025-2026.

The EDCOM2 early childhood dashboard consolidates local data on child nutrition, early literacy and Child Development Center coverage to support targeted early childhood interventions.

Social media

In a separate development, Education Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday backed efforts to regulate social media use among minors, saying the government cannot control children’s exposure to online platforms at home.

Angara’s statement came after the Senate passed on third and final reading a bill requiring high-risk digital services to suspend, restrict, disable or remove accounts owned, operated or used by individuals under 18.

“The proposed bill is important. I know that there are debates on what is the right age, etc.,” Angara said after attending the Comprehensive Media Program for Children and Its Role in Policy Making summit in Quezon City.

The proposed Safe Media Access and Responsible Technology for Kids in Digital Spaces (SMART KIDS) Act seeks to prohibit minors from accessing high-risk digital services, including Roblox and GoreBox, online platforms where vulnerable young people are reportedly groomed into committing violent acts.

“But for us, we can’t control everything. We prohibit the use of those apps in schools. But when it comes to their own homes, we can’t control it. That’s why we appreciate those kinds of social media regulations. And it’s proven that if children use apps for a long time, their depression and anxiety will increase,” Angara said.

The proposed ban does not cover email services, private messaging services, online gaming services not primarily used for social networking, educational platforms, news services and professional collaboration services.