Iloilo model boosts Grade 3 reading skills from 28% to 90% in a yearA student of Barasalon Integrated School in Iloilo receives books donated by the Iloilo Provincial Library and Archives, which were provided by the Department of Education Library Hub, Oct. 6, 2025. MANILA, Philippines — A congressional body is pushing to replicate a literacy program in Iloilo that raised reading levels among Grade 3 students from 28% to 90% in just one year — results that come as the commission looks for scalable solutions to the nationwide reading crisis. The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) highlighted the Iloilo literacy program's reported wins during a hearing by the Senate basic education committee on March 3. The Iloilo program, a partnership between the provincial government, the Synergeia Foundation, and the DepEd, ran across 11 municipalities starting in 2024. Mayors were given access to real-time reading proficiency data, which Guevara said allowed them to track whether their spending was working.

Source: Philippine Star March 13, 2026 04:11 UTC