GNV News September 30, 2026

It has become clear that about 1 in 2 fifth-grade primary school students in Southeast Asia have not acquired the expected level of reading proficiency. This is according to a regional report released in December 2025 by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). The report is based on the first large-scale post‑COVID‑19 learning assessment conducted in six countries: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Viet Nam.

According to the report, an estimated 70 million children in Southeast Asia were affected by school closures during the COVID‑19 pandemic, but reading skills have remained almost flat since 2019, with no notable recovery. While mathematics performance has improved slightly, 19% of fifth‑grade students are still only at a third‑grade level in math. UNICEF’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific pointed out that without basic literacy and numeracy, children cannot progress to higher levels of education or future employment, and called on governments to increase investment.

The report also revealed a trend whereby children from low‑income households, children whose home language differs from the language of instruction, and children in rural areas tend to have lower academic performance. In addition, in all countries girls outperform boys in reading, and in some countries this gap has widened further. By contrast, there was little gender difference observed in math performance.

Amid growing alarm over these learning challenges, efforts to promote reading among the general public are advancing across Southeast Asia. In Singapore, a new scheme began in September 2026 that rewards people with cash or discount vouchers when they read. Behind this are concerns about the spread of “doomscrolling” (*) associated with the widespread use of smartphones, and about declining attention spans and reading skills.

What this survey highlights is not so much a decline in basic literacy itself as a learning challenge: children are failing to acquire adequate foundational skills in reading and mathematics. A 2020 survey also reported that satisfaction with education in Southeast Asia declined from 2019 to 2020 . Even after the COVID‑19 pandemic, these challenges remain.

* Doomscrolling: The act of endlessly scrolling through social media and other platforms to consume bad news or anxiety‑provoking information.

Learn more about educational challenges after COVID‑19 → “Education in the Post‑COVID World and Its Media Coverage”

Learn more about education and the media → “Education and International News Coverage (GNV Podcast 122)”