CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez has urged the Departments of Budget and Management (DBM) and Education (DepEd) to allocate 8,000 of the 16,000 new teaching positions to Mindanao to address literacy challenges.
Rodriguez appealed to DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara, emphasizing the urgent need for more teachers, better training, additional schools, and learning materials in the region.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, Mindanao has the highest functional illiteracy rate in the country, with eight of the ten provinces with the highest rates located there.
Tawi-Tawi has the highest rate at 36 percent. The report also noted that 18.9 million Filipinos who completed high school between 2019 and 2024 may be functionally illiterate.
Of the 16,000 new teaching positions, 15,343 are for Teacher I roles, 157 for special science teachers, and 500 for special education teachers.
Pangandaman stated these positions aim to support the government’s goal to improve the education system and fill teaching roles across all levels, including alternative learning programs.
