Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday, March 17 urged the country’s education officials to learn from Vietnam’s experience when it comes to their best practices in education, including their efficient education spending.

Gatchalian noted that while increasing resources can help improve education performance to a certain extent, it is equally important to ensure optimal use of available government resources.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, also pointed out that while there is not much difference between the two countries when it comes to funding their education, Vietnam’s learner performance is way higher than that of Filipinos.

“Bagama’t hindi nagkakalayo ang ginagastos ng Vietnam at Pilipinas para sa edukasyon, nakita naman natin sa datos na mas mataas ang marka ng mga mag-aaral mula Vietnam. (Although both Vietnam and the Philippines do not spend much on education, we have seen in the data that students from Vietnam score higher),” said Gatchalian.

Mahalagang matuto tayo sa halimbawa ng Vietnam dahil ipinakita nila ang kahalagahan ng mas mainam na paggamit ng mga resources at mas mabisang paggasta para sa edukasyon (It is important that we learn from the example of Vietnam because they show the importance of better use of resources and more effective spending for education),” he added.

Citing the results of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the lawmaker noted 72 percent or 7 out of 10 Vietnamese learners aged 15 have reached Level 2 or the minimum proficiency level in mathematics.

In the Philippines, only 16 percent or less than 2 out of 10 learners have reached the minimum proficiency in mathematics.

On average, Gatchalian noted that the Philippines spends around P55,000 per learner every year from Kindergarten until the age of 15, while Vietnam spends on average around P69,000 per learner every year from Kindergarten until the age of 15.

Analyzing the latest PISA results, the senator observed that Vietnam’s poorest learners, or those at the bottom 10 percent of the Economic, Social, and Cultural Status (ESCS), scored 91 points higher than the Philippines’ poorest learners; the average score of Vietnam’s poorest learners was 427, while the Philippines’ average score was 336.

Gatchalian said the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) is set to study Vietnam’s best practices in a visit scheduled later this month.

“This initiative reflects a proactive approach to enhancing our education system by drawing insights from the successes of Vietnam, with the aim of identifying strategies and methodologies that can be adapted to elevate educational standards in our country,” he said.