BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

The Department of Education (DepEd), under President Bongbong Marcos’ guidance, is calling for a national effort to address the illiteracy problem that extends beyond the classroom.

Citing the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) results, DepEd emphasized the urgent need to address every factor that shapes a child’s ability to learn—including nutrition, home life, and community support.

“While DepEd is keen on bridging gaps on the curriculum side, the illiteracy problem is not a classroom problem alone,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said. “Children can’t learn on an empty stomach. Teachers can’t teach reading if students come to school hungry, sick, or unsupported at home. This is bigger than DepEd. Solving literacy means mobilizing parents, LGUs, and the private sector.” 

Parents as Reading Teachers

As part of efforts to improve basic literacy and numeracy, DepEd has launched several summer programs designed to support struggling learners, including Literacy Remediation Program (LRP), Bawat Bata Makakabasa (BBMP), 2025 Learning Camp, and Summer Academic Remediation Program. 

These targeted intervention programs aim to ensure that learners can read, write, and solve basic math problems before entering the next grade level.

Meanwhile, President Marcos also pointed out the crucial role of parents in ensuring better performance of their children in school.

“To our parents, especially those who have young children, take the time to read stories to your children. It is time well invested. It may be a small step. But it is a crucial one in looking after [for] those who will inherit our motherland,” the President said in a previous statement.

According to research by UNESCO, parents play a vital part in the holistic education of children. Reading aloud at home, developing early childhood routines, and fostering curiosity all influence literacy as much as formal instruction. 

In response, the Department of Education, together with its partners, oversees several programs that promote parental involvement and is calling for more community-led, family-based literacy initiatives to reinforce learning at home.

In Cebu, the, Zonta Club of Cebu II has implemented a family-based literacy initiative called Alimbukad: Basa Pamilya. The program provides families with book bags to encourage reading at home and includes monthly guided sessions for parents in participating schools like Poo Elementary School in San Vicente, Olango Island, Lapu-lapu City. The initiative aims to equip parents with the tools and knowledge to support their children’s learning and create a culture of reading within households.

Feeding the Mind

According to UNICEF, literacy is multifactorial—shaped by a child’s nutrition, home environment, access to reading materials, and community support. To address the nutrition gap, DepEd is scaling up its School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) to reach over 3.3 million learners for School Year 2025-2026, including all Kindergarten students in public schools. 

This expansion is rooted in the science of the first 1,000 days—a critical window for physical and cognitive development. Malnutrition during these years can stunt not just growth, but learning potential.This can be seen in recent DepEd data, showing a correlation between  improvement in nutrition outcomes and literacy.

“We are doing our part. Now we need the rest of the village to act,” Angara said. 

To help address this nutrition gap, DepEd has been actively forging partnerships that make feeding programs more efficient and sustainable. 

For one, the Jollibee Group Foundation (JGF), through its Busog, Lusog, Talino (BLT) program, introduced the Central Kitchen model—a support facility designed to complement DepEd’s SBFP by enabling large-scale meal preparation and distribution. 

“Napakalaking tulong ng programang ito sa development ng mga bata, para ang mga bata araw-araw sa school ay busog, para lahat ng itinuturo ng mga teacher ay naa-absorb nila,” Principal Leah M. Gualvez of Cayabon Elementary School, Masbate shared. 

To date, 41 BLT Central Kitchens have been established across the country, serving nutritious meals to over 30,000 students in more than 200 schools.

Under this model, meals for multiple schools are prepared in one centralized kitchen, then delivered daily to partner schools, reducing operational costs and standardizing food quality. 

These efforts form part of DepEd’s whole-of-nation strategy to improve learning outcomes by tackling the broader conditions that affect a child’s ability to read and learn. By aligning education and health interventions, the Department aims to ensure that more Filipino learners are equipped to succeed beyond academics. 

*All Photos from DepEd