GUIMARAS – This island province emerged as one of the top-performing provinces in Western Visayas in terms of educational performance. It ranked second and third in basic and functional literacy, respectively, based on the recent result of the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS).
With a total population of 175,000 individuals aged five and over, Guimaras recorded the second highest basic literacy rate of 91.2%. According to the PSA, approximately nine in every 10 Guimarasnons can read, write with understanding, and carry out basic mathematical operations.
“Guimaras ranks as the second highest in Region 6, just behind Aklan, which recorded a literacy rate of 92.1 percent, and ahead of Antique with 90.1 percent. At the regional level, Western Visayas reported a basic literacy rate of 89.6 percent, slightly below the national average of 90.0 percent,” said Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare.
The basic literacy rates in the provinces of Iloilo at 88.6 percent, and Capiz at 89.3 percent were below the regional level, while Iloilo City’s at 89.9 percent surpassed the regional level.
PSA data also highlighted a gender disparity in basic literacy rates in Guimaras. Of the province’s 175,000 individuals aged five years and over, 90,000 were males and 85,000 were females. Among them, approximately 80,000 males and 79,000 females were identified as basically literate.
“This translates to a basic literacy rate of 89.5 percent for males and 93.0 percent for females, resulting in a 3.5 percentage point gender gap in favor of females,” Losare said
Additionally, Guimaras stands out for its strong literacy performance – only 6.4% of its population is classified as illiterate, which is lower than the regional average of 7.0%.
Guimaras is also one of the top-performing provinces when it comes to functional literacy among individuals aged 10 to 64 years. Based on the 2024 Functional Literacy Survey, the province reported an impressive functional literacy rate of 73.0%, or nearly three out of four individuals in this age group possess the ability to read, write, compute, and comprehend information — skills crucial for daily functioning, productivity, and informed decision-making.
Despite being one of the smallest provinces in terms of population, with just 143,000 individuals aged 10-64 years old, Guimaras ranks among the top three provinces in the region in terms of functional literacy, closely trailing Aklan (73.9%) and Antique (73.8%).
Basic literacy is the ability of a person to read and write a simple message in any language or dialect with understanding, and to compute or perform basic mathematical operations, while functional literacy is the ability of a person to read, write, compute, and comprehend.
The PSA led the conduct of the 2024 FLEMMS in October 2024. The survey aims to provide a quantitative framework that will serve as a basis for the formulation of policies and programs on the improvement of literacy and education status of the population.
Losare said the 2024 FLEMMS adopted the revised operational definition and methodology in estimating basic and functional literacy in the Philippines as approved by the PSA Board through Resolution No. 13, series of 2024./PN
