Tawi-Tawi and several other Mindanao provinces recorded the highest rates of struggling readers at the start of the 2025–2026 school year, according to a national assessment by the Second Congressional Commission on Education.

The Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment, or CRLA, revealed that 75.6 percent of students in Tawi-Tawi were unable to read proficiently, marking the highest rate in the country.

This literacy gap was followed closely by Maguindanao del Norte at 65.38 percent and the Special Geographic Area in North Cotabato at 64.49 percent.

Education experts have linked these academic struggles to health issues, noting that Tawi-Tawi also posted a stunting prevalence of 16.96 percent, the second-highest nationwide. The data suggests that chronic malnutrition is significantly hindering the cognitive development and reading abilities of children in the region.

The literacy crisis remains widespread across the southern Philippines, with Zamboanga City reporting 60.72 percent of students struggling to read.

Similar trends were observed in Sarangani at 60.57 percent, Sulu at 59.63 percent and Maguindanao del Sur at 58.46 percent. Other affected areas include Lamitan City and Basilan province, which both recorded rates above 57 percent, and Davao Occidental at 57.17 percent.

The EDCOM 2 data shows that nearly half of the top 50 areas nationwide with the highest prevalence of struggling readers are located in Mindanao. In total, 15 provinces and eight cities from the southern region dominate the list.

The commission said that these findings highlight long-standing challenges in both literacy and nutrition. Officials stressed that the results point to an urgent need for targeted government interventions to address the health and educational barriers facing students in these provinces.