Results from the just concluded Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), revealed that the Philippines performed the lowest out of 79 countries in reading comprehension for 2018.
According to the result, the Philippines ranked the second-lowest in Science and Math followed by the Dominican Republic.
The country scored 353 points in Mathematics, 357 points in Science, and 340 points in reading literacy, the lowest of all the participating countries in the assessment, whose average score is 489 points.
The Beijing-Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang group from China topped the rankings after scoring higher than the OECD average in reading (555), math (591), and science (590).
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This is the first time that the Philippines would participate in the triennial international assessment that seeks to test 15-year-old students ability in Reading, Science, and Mathematics.
Philippines Department of Education reaction
The Philippines Department of Education (DepEd) has called on the government to do its part in improving the quality of basic education in the country.
The department released a statement saying:
We envision that no Filipino learners should be left behind and it takes a nation to educate a child. Hence, DepEd calls on the entire nation to take active involvement, cooperation, and collaboration in advancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines.
Frederick Sotto Perez, President of the Reading Association of the Philippines has encouraged the DepEd to learn from the result. Adding that although the result depicts an alarming resolve of the DepEd they should take the evaluation and use it to improve the Philippines DepEd.
Also, Philippine Business for Education said the results show there is the need for all sectors to collectively take a hard look at the quality of Philippine education, and develop a common plan to improve the standards for teaching and learning.
Perez further added that another reason for the poor performance of Filipino students was due to is lack of infrastructure for studying in schools. He said there are no books, encyclopedias, dictionary, and other digital texts in schools, adding that reading culture must be cultivated to enhance student productivity.
Sulong Edukalidad
Coinciding with the release of the 2018 PISA results, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched its Sulong Edukalidad program that aims to address the need for quality basic education in the country.
Leonor Briones, DepEd Secretary said the launch of the program was necessitated by the need to tackle the lingering challenge of basic education in the country. He also expressed his happiness towards major development in terms of access to basic education.
The new initiative will be implemented through aggressive reforms in four key areas collectively known as KITE.
The (K) stands for Ok to 12 reviews and update, (I) for Improvement of learning environment, (T) for Teachers up-skilling and re-skilling through a modified professional development program and (E) for Engagement of all stakeholders for support and collaboration.
