Following the results of a global survey which revealed low math and science proficiency scores among Filipino high-school students, Sen. Win Gatchalian has called anew for the establishment of a public math and science high schools in every province.
According to the lawmaker, the results of the global Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, which assessed 15-year-old students’ proficiency in mathematics, science and reading comprehension, underscored the necessity of building schools in the provinces with a curriculum that focuses on mathematics and the sciences.
The triennial study revealed that among 79 countries, Filipino students scored second lowest in science and mathematics.
Filipino high-school students scored an average of 353 and 357 in mathematics and science, respectively. The focus of the next Pisa assessment, which will be in 2021, will be on mathematical literacy.
Gatchalian, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, said that the capacity of the Filipino students in science and mathematics does not only mirrors the status of our education system.
“It also shows the lack in readiness of our youth to be part of industry when they graduate, especially since the change brought by technology is very fast,” he said in Filipino.
Earlier this year, Gatchalian filed Senate Bill 369, or the Equitable Access to Math and Science Education Act.
The proposed measure mandates all provinces to have at least one public math and science high school within their capital cities.
The schools shall implement a six-year integrated junior-senior high-school curriculum that focuses on advanced science, mathematics and technology subjects under the guidance of both the Departments of Education, and of Science and Technology.
Graduates from these schools will be required to enroll in a course of study in pure and applied sciences, mathematics, engineering, technology or any other field deemed appropriate by the Commission on Higher Education.
Gatchalian added that the schools would boost student performance in the provinces, noting that in all three areas covered by Pisa, students from the rural communities scored lower than those in the urban areas.
“The establishment of a math and science high school in every province will also foster greater equity in our education system,” Gatchalian said.