A six-year education proposal introducing a provincewide tutoring program to address low literacy and numeracy rates among Cebu's early-grade students will be presented to the Provincial Board on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. In an interview with SunStar Cebu on Friday, May 29, Christopher Baricuatro, executive assistant and focal person of the Provincial School Board, said he will present the proposal during the school board meeting. A separate proposal tied to the Cebu Province–Grants Intended for Tertiary Students (CP-Gifts) program will also require scholars to tutor public school children in their localities to retain their financial aid.
Education Crisis
The proposals came after Cebu Province declared an "education crisis" in March following a January report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) showing that only 32 percent of Cebuano students in Grades 1 to 3 passed basic reading comprehension assessments. The Edcom 2 data showed major literacy gaps in urban areas, with nearly half of Grade 3 pupils struggling with foundational reading skills. Talisay City posted the highest rate of struggling readers at 50.2 percent, followed by Cebu City at 46.85 percent, Lapu-Lapu City at 45.64 percent, and Toledo City at 43.83 percent. Gov. Pamela Baricuatro issued Executive Order 19 on March 18 creating the Cebu Provincial Education Secretariat. The body serves as a central hub for literacy programs, scholarship management, and coordination between the Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Six-Year Targets
The six-year plan sets annual targets to measure improvements in literacy and numeracy rates instead of relying on funding without performance indicators. "In six years, after one year, the reading comprehension of children should increase by this percent. This is specific," Executive Assistant Baricuatro said. "By one year, it should be 30 [additional] percent. In the second year, it should be 60 percent. So, at least, we will reach the national average in six years. Or hopefully, we will surpass it," he added. Under the proposal, the Provincial Government plans to hire newly licensed or unemployed education graduates as paid tutors and provide them with honorarium-based compensation. Baricuatro said the initiative also seeks to address job mismatch among education graduates who end up working outside the teaching sector. "You're an education graduate, but you're here in sales," Baricuatro said. "Hopefully... if you don't have a job yet, you can get a licence. Then you can add that to your credentials," he added.
Scholarship Tutoring Plan
Under the separate CP-Gifts proposal, beneficiaries will render weekend tutoring hours for children in Grades 1 to 3 focusing on English comprehension and mathematics. Baricuatro said the tutoring mechanism has yet to be finalized. The Province will partner with the Synergeia Foundation to conduct literacy and numeracy assessments every three to six months to monitor the effectiveness of the interventions. Part of the six-year proposal also includes an ordinance expanding the Provincial School Board to include the Provincial Nutrition Action Officer, civil society groups, academic representatives, and student leaders. The reorganized board will guide local government units in maximizing Special Education Funds through tutor hiring, early childhood education programs, and feeding initiatives for toddlers not covered by National Government programs. The board is also expected to hold a Provincial Education Summit this summer to turn school data into policy adjustments. "After we get the data from the whole province, the schools, the problems, this is where we will have the solutions," Baricuatro said.
Daycare and Nutrition Gaps
Beyond the tutoring initiative, the six-year agenda also focuses on daycare infrastructure, nutrition, and teacher wellness programs. A previous SunStar Cebu report published on March 18 showed that more than 18,500 children, or 7.36 percent, in Cebu Province remain stunted despite improving nutrition figures in urban areas. Cebu City recorded a lower stunting rate at 3.27 percent. The proposal seeks to activate daycare centers in 103 barangays that still lack operating facilities and upgrade daycare workers to meet Early Childhood Care and Development National Certificate Level 3 standards under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. "Another one is that 103 barangays don't have a working daycare center. 103, that is according to the stats of Edcom 2. So, we have to address that. There should be a working daycare center," Baricuatro said. The Province also plans to introduce nutrition-based feeding programs using balanced meal plans prepared by nutrition officers instead of relying on porridge-based feeding. "It can't be just porridge with carbs," Executive Assistant Baricuatro said. "It has to be balanced... so they will make a menu." The proposal also includes mental health interventions such as stress management seminars and wellness conferences for teachers and students.
