For a group of teachers, the result of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) “does not come as a surprise” anymore as problems in the country’s education system continue to persist.
“Similar to 2018, the Philippines continues to lag behind in terms of student academic achievement in the areas of science, mathematics, and reading,” the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said in a statement.
Based on the 2022 PISA results, Filipino learners continue to lag in mathematics, reading, and science.
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https://mb.com.ph/2023/12/5/pisa-2022-no-significant-improvements-seen-in-ph-students-performance
For TDC, the result can be attributed to the “lack of substantive measures taken to address the fundamental challenges in the education sector, in addition to the pandemic-related factors.”
Perennial problems
Despite the result, TDC pointed out that the problems in the country’s education “existed long before” the pandemic.
For TDC, the “failure” of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the entire government to “address the fundamental concerns” has contributed to the current state of education in the country.
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TDC pointed out that that having insufficient learning materials and school facilities; overcrowded classrooms that are not favorable for learning; congested curriculum; and socio-economic challenges to learners hailing from poor families were among the problems that needed to be addressed.
“In addition, the poor treatment of teachers, especially in terms of welfare, is perhaps one of the most pressing concerns,” TDC said.
TDC said that teachers in the Philippines are among the “lowest paid in the world” and there are also “no benefits enjoyed by our counterparts” in other countries.
The also group lamented that the teaching profession is “far from attractive” to the best available talents which is a “violation” of the constitutional mandate.
“The education sector is confronted with these basic problems, each of which requires an outright and basic solution: government sincerity and political will,” TDC said.
Recognizing, addressing problems
TDC noted that while DepEd, under the leadership of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte, admitted this "uncomfortable truth," there is much more that needed to be done.
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For TDC, it is important to note that this admission alone will not be “sufficient” to resolve the issue.
“The government needs to acknowledge that it has failed, and that failure can be attributed to the fact that it did not recognize the basic problems of the education system and neglected the dignity of its teachers,” it added.
During the PISA 2022 national forum conducted by DepEd last week, the agency expressed optimism that Filipino learners will “get better” results in international assessments with the education reforms in place.
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