Early last month, the announcement of the decline of the Philippines’ ranking in the 2022 Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) elicited spirited discussion. From 340 in 2018, the country's 15-year-old learners scored 347 in 2022 for Reading Literacy. For Mathematical Literacy, the scores increased from 353 in 2018 to 355 in 2022, and for Scientific Literacy, from 357 in 2018 to 356 in 2022. The overall score showed a slight improvement of plus-2.66 points. This was only the second time that the Philippines participated in the assessment. Previously, the country participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) with the same poor scores.

Any fair-minded observer would readily take these results with circumspection and with the proverbial grain of salt. Recall that from 2020 to 2022, the Philippines enforced rigid quarantine and lockdown measures. Teachers hastily assembled learning materials and relied on parents’ support and monitoring, while hoping for reasonably good internet connectivity so that remote-learning sessions could be conducted productively. 

Another important consideration is that the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to deal with the pains and stresses arising from the introduction of the K to 12 basic education curriculum. Republic Act No. 10533, the Enhanced Basic Education Act was signed into law by the late President Benigno S. Aquino III on May 15, 2013. Hence, those who enrolled in Kindergarten in 2013 would finish Grade 10 of Junior High School this year and complete two years of Senior High School in 2026. 

It must be recalled that before this enactment, the Philippines was the last country in Asia with a 10-year basic education cycle, and one of the three remaining countries in the world — together with Djibouti and Angola of Africa, with a 10-year pre-university education system.

The DepEd launched last October the pilot implementation of curricular changes for Grades 1 to 10 by reducing the number of competencies and focusing more on the development of foundational skills, such as literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills of kindergarten to Grade 3 learners. Dubbed as MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum, its phased implementation will be applied to Kindergarten, Grades 1, 4, and 7; to Grades 2, 5, and 8 in SY 2025-2026; to Grades 3, 6, and 9 in SY 2026-2027; and to Grade 10 in SY 2027-2028.

Meanwhile, in-depth review of the Grade 11 and Grade 12 curriculum is underway.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who heads the Senate Committee on Basic Education has proposed the intensification of the DepEd’s learning recovery programs and the enactment of the ARAL Bill that seeks to address pandemic-related learning loss and ensure that learners have access to well-designed remediation plans. 

Considering the long-term deficit that was further hobbled by the pandemic, it is truly a steep climb toward world competitiveness for Filipino learners. The stand taken by Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) — that while the latest PISA assessment results are clearly disappointing, such data driven decisions would still be more beneficial in educational governance — certainly deserves serious attention.