Ten million problems

Having 88.6 percent of over 82 million Filipinos classified as basic literates, and for the Philippines to be known as having the highest literacy rate in Southeast Asia and one of the highest in Asia may appear rosy on the surface, but not so in this globally competitive, hard and trying times.

From the opposite angle, this figure means that 11 percent – or over 10 million – of our countrymen are poorly or inadequately equipped (if at all) to thrive in the race for a better life.

Can you imagine the magnitude of the problem posed by 10 million people lacking the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to eke out a comfortable or even decent living for himself and his family?

To distinguish between the different classifications of literacy, basic literacy is defined as the ability of an individual to merely read and write; in contrast, functional literates are those who not only are able to read and write but are likewise able to comprehend basic rules and instructions, and perform basic mathematical operations.

Those who cannot read or write are considered illiterate. Right now, this easily translates to those 10 million Filipinos found not to have even basic literacy skills. Being illiterate means being an outright burden to an already overburdened local economy.

Growing number of illiterates

The recently released Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media (FLEMMS) survey showed that the country’s basic literacy rate dropped significantly from 95 percent in 1994 to 88.6 percent in 2003. (The 2003 FLEMMS is the third in a series of functional literacy surveys conducted by the National Statistics Office. It covers a national sample of about 25,697 households and 75,558 individuals aged 10 to 64 years. The survey aimed to provide information on basic and functional literacy status and exposure to mass media of the population. The previous rounds were conducted in 1989 and 1994.)

In absolute terms, there are more Filipinos today who are not ready to take on jobs. And to think that even maintenance personnel or janitors nowadays are given tasks that require additional cognitive and numerical skills.

Unqualified for employment

But we are not just waging a war against illiteracy. The country’s functional literacy figures, on the other hand, may have incrementally increased to 84.1 percent in 2003 from 83.8 percent in 1994. But that’s a less than one-percent increase, and in absolute terms, this again just means that there are more people who will not be able to meet minimum qualification standards to earn a living.

With the realities and challenges posed by globalization, stiff competition in the job market, and a rapidly modernizing world, it needs more than just being functionally literate to land a good, stable job.

The FLEMMS Survey, in fact, showed that only 49 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 have the means to be totally productive and take on the challenges posed by the tight race for few job openings, globalization and modern way of life. But not so with the remaining 33 million Filipinos.

Systemic problem

Aware of this literacy downtrend, Education Secretary Fe Hidalgo has vowed to address age-old woes hounding the country’s education system from increasing the number of good quality books to tapping all available resources and community-based support. But the problem seems beset with more problems.

Things turn awry, for instance, at the most basic level of learning. The problem, as reckoned by experts, is poverty. A growing number of Grade I students are being asked by their parents to drop out from classes to help in farm work or simply minding the home and their siblings.

Only about 70 of 1,000 Grade One kids make it to Grade Six. Again, this is traced to the high cost of fares and supplies, expenses that may just be too much for a poor, struggling head of a family to pay for. Tuition fees may be free but a jeepney or tricycle ride to school is not.

Such issues lead us back to the basic need for a more solid public school system with adequate supplies, teachers, school buildings located not too far from communities – and eventually, a more appropriate budget allocated education. Such has been raised a long time ago, but which has yet to be adequately addressed. With the fiscal constraints posed by our P3-trillion debts, there is really very little to expect in terms of additional government funds.

Private sector initiative

The education department would do well to call on the private sector’s assistance in helping eradicate illiteracy in the country, while at the same time stemming the increasing numbers of Filipinos who are not even functionally literate.

There are a number of opportunities open for companies that would like to help. DepEd has been successful in mobilizing private sector support for programs like the Adopt-A-School and "Brigada Eskwela" programs.

One such company that is deeply involved in providing educational assistance to poor but deserving students is Amkor Technologies, the country’s largest maker if electronic chips. Over the years, Amkor Technologies has been distributing computer units to schools and recently expanded its youth education program through a tie-up with MyReviewerOnline.com. Under the program, Internet access cards are distributed to beneficiary schools. These cards enable students to access for free the knowledge-building modules, i.e., vocabulary builder, mathematics drills, etc., available on the MyReviewerOnline.com web site.

Intel is also very active with its IntelTeach to the Future. They have helped in bringing secondary school teachers’ appreciation of computer technology to practical levels.

Without doubt, there are still a lot of problems that need to be overcome to reverse the downtrend of the overall quality of education. But with the national leadership distracted by bigger issues such as political survival, nothing much can be expected in the long term, and worse within the shorter time frame.

In the meantime, the rest of the world marches on. Before long, we shall fail to sustain the only major contributor to our economy – the supply of qualified human resources to the lucrative global job market.

Non-wager poker tournaments

In response to queries received, the Poker Club of the Philippines clarified that winners of previous leg competitions of the ongoing Poker King Challenge can participate again in succeeding legs and compete for the prizes at stake. For instance, prize certificates with cash values of up to P60,000 await the leg champion of the 5th leg scheduled on 5th November 2005 at Casino Filipino, Tagaytay City. In order to participate, they just have to pay the tournament fee.

With the clarification, winners of the previous four legs are expected to list in future leg competitions as prizes at stake increase in value. Of course, the other objective is to continue honing their playing skills in preparation for the grand finals. According to these players, there is a big difference in just watching a game on TV compared to face-to-face competition under tournament conditions. At any rate, the top three winners of the Tagaytay leg who are not previous leg winners will qualify for the grand finals scheduled at the later part this year.

Poker players, old and new converts, who would like to test their skills or gain experience in tournament competition, are enjoined to visit www.PokerClubofthePhilippines.com to get the latest news about non-wager poker tournament schedules to be held in various places.

Watch out, too, for announcements regarding the biggest tournament being organized, the Texas hold’em Philippine Championship. Details are available on the website or from the club secretariat (c/o Cindy) at 817-9092.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 4th Floor, 156 Valero Street, Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Or e-mail me at [email protected] or at [email protected]. If you wish to view the previous columns, you may visit my website at http://bizlinks.linkedge.biz.