Functional illiteracy among Filipinos has surged to 24.8 million in over 30 years, according to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).

The commission attributed this to the Department of Education (DepEd) being spread thin, participating in over 261 interagency bodies, and taking on numerous non-teaching responsibilities.

EDCOM 2 noted that despite the 1994 trifocalization creating DepEd, CHED, and TESDA to improve literacy, more than 150 laws and executive issuances since 2001 have added new mandates, burdening teachers and affecting learning outcomes. Tasks include coordinating social programs, disaster management, health initiatives, and drug education.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said the department is now streamlining interagency engagements under a Presidential education cluster.

However, many education laws, including programs for academic recovery, alternative learning, and mental health, remain unfunded. Fully implementing all mandates could cost over a trillion pesos, Angara further explained.