The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday stressed the urgency of addressing the issues and gaps in attaining quality basic education after the Philippines’s low ranking in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
Released on December 3, 2019, the latest PISA results revealed that the Philippines scored 353 in mathematics, 357 in science, and 340 in reading, all below the average of participating Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said that the failure of the government to spend portions of its gross domestic product (GDP) for education apparently resulted the current quality of education in the country.
In a news statement, Briones said that it is the first time that the Philippines joined the PISA in 2018 as part of the Quality Basic Education reform plan and a step toward globalizing the quality of Philippine basic education.
“By participating in PISA, we will be able to establish our baseline in relation to global standards, and benchmark the effectiveness of our reforms moving forward. The PISA results, along with our own assessments and studies, will aid in policy formulation, planning and programming,” she said.
The education chief noted that DepEd will lead the national effort for quality basic education through “Sulong Edukalidad” by implementing “aggressive reforms” in four key areas: K to 12 review and updating; Improvement of learning facilities; Teachers and school heads’ upskilling and reskilling through a transformed professional development program; and Engagement of all stakeholders for support and collaboration.
“We envision that no Filipino learners should be left behind and it takes a nation to educate a child. Hence, DepEd calls the entire nation to take active involvement, cooperation and collaboration in advancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines,” Briones stressed.
On Tuesday, results of the PISA 2018, which compared the quality of basic education of the 79 member and partner countries of the OECD showed the Philippines ranking at the bottom for performance in reading, and second-lowest for both mathematics and science.
The Philippines scored 340 points in reading, below the average of 487 points of OECD member and partner countries, 353 points in mathematical literacy, below the average of 489 points, and 357 points in science, below the average of 489 points.