Nutrition plan rollout sought

A PHILIPPINE senator on Wednesday called on the Education and Social Welfare departments and National Nutrition Council to ensure the proper rollout of government nutrition interventions to curb illiteracy.

“Nutrition and literacy are closely correlated,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said in a statement. “One way to break the cycle of illiteracy is to make sure that our children receive proper nourishment.”

“When children get the proper nutrition they need, they study better, learn better and become functionally literate,” he added.

About 19 million Filipinos with basic education are functionally illiterate, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Mr. Gatchalian said provinces and highly urbanized cities with high stunting rates among children below five years old also suffer from low literacy rates. He added that local governments should also establish literacy councils as a solution. — Adrian H. Halili