PH literacy rate jumps by 5% in 10 years

From the Manila Times (Dec 30): PH literacy rate jumps by 5% in 10 years

National Statistics Office (NSO) data showed that literacy rate of Filipinos increased by 5 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to the statistical body’s 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) data.

The CPH, released late Friday, stated that 97.5 percent or 69.8 million of the total 71.5 million persons aged 10 and above were literate in 2010, which was 5.2 percent higher than the 92.3 percent in 2000.

By NSO definition, a person is considered literate if he or she is “able to read and write a simple message in any language or dialect.”

The 71.5 million aged 10 years old and up comprised 77.7 percent of the country’s 92.1 million total population of the country to date.

In terms of gender, the NSO said that there are more literate females than males—higher by 0.2 percent, or 97.6 percent compared to 97.4-percent male literacy rate.

Geographically, the National Capital Region had the highest literacy rate with 99.7 percent while the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has the lowest literacy rate in regional terms with 82.5 percent.

Cavite had the highest literacy rate among provinces with 99.6 percent, while Sulu had the lowest at 76.6 percent.

The NSO said that in 2010, female outnumbered male attendance to school by 0.9 percent, referring to students aged five to 24.

“Females aged five to 24 who attended school during the school year 2009-2010 comprised 65 percent of all females in this age group. In comparison, [there are] 64.1 percent of males aged five to 24 [who] attended school in the same school year,” the state-run statistical body said.

“The country had a total of 38.5 million persons aged five to 24 years. This age group makes up the 41.8 percent of the 92.1-million household population. Of the total 5-24 population, 24.9 million persons, or 64.5 percent had attended school at anytime from June 2009 to March 2010,” they added.

In terms of school attendance, Cordillera Administrative Region had the highest school attendance among regions with 69.4 percent of its students aged five to 24 attending school regularly while ARMM had the lowest with 59.3 percent.

At the provincial level, Batanes had the highest attendance in school among its students with 82.7 percent, while Basilan had the lowest with 52.8 percent.

http://manilatimes.net/ph-literacy-rate-jumps-by-5-in-10-years/64167/