NSCB Resolution No. 10
Series of 2003

DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPERATIONAL DEFINITION
OF FUNCTIONAL LITERACY

WHEREAS, the need to formulate a new contextual definition of functional literacy was raised as a concern in the 1997 National Literacy Conference;

WHEREAS, the Literacy Coordinating Council (LCC) conducted a series of activities involving stakeholders in literacy, reviewed the current definition of functional literacy and developed a new contextual definition as follows: “a range of skills and competencies – cognitive, affective and behavioral – which enables individuals to live and work as human persons, develop their potential, make critical and informed decisions and function effectively in society within the context of their environment and that of the wider community (local, regional, national and global) in order to improve the quality of their life and that of society”;

WHEREAS, the conceptual definition is very comprehensive, and hence, there is an expressed need to formulate an operational definition of functional literacy to lend itself to statistical measurement;

WHEREAS, an operational definition of a functionally literate person is being recommended as “any person 15 years old and over who has demonstrated a level of functional literacy as measured by a satisfactory evaluation of a self-administered questionnaire developed for the purpose”;

WHEREAS, the National Statistics Office is scheduled to conduct the 2003 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) in November 2003, a designated statistical activity under the System of Designated Statistics, one objective of which is the measurement of the level of functional literacy of Filipinos;

WHEREAS, some concerns were raised on the validity and appropriateness of the questions included in the proposed FLEMMS questionnaire to evaluate the functional literacy of individual respondents, one of which is to objectively assess whether indeed these questions measure functional literacy and not social values;

WHEREAS, no other country adopts a definition of functional literacy similar to the above;

WHEREAS, the proposed operational definition of functional literacy and the proposed survey instrument need further study by a special committee;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED that the Board approve the following:

1. That the NSO continue with the conduct of the 2003 FLEMMS using the current definition of functional literacy as adopted in the 1994 FLEMMS, and generate information that will be useful for studying the proposed operational definition; and

2. That a special committee be created, to undertake, among others, a thorough study on the development of an operational definition of functional literacy.

Approved this 13th day of October 2003, in Pasig City.

ATTESTED BY:

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General