Makati City Mayor Abby Binay lauded the city's public school students after they topped the 2023-2024 National Achievement Test (NAT) administered to Grade 6 students.
Based on the report of the Schools Division Office-Makati City (DepEd Makati), the city’s Mean Percentage Scores (MPS) in the 21st Century Skills and five learning areas consistently outperformed both the National Capital Region (NCR) and national MPS.
“We are elated with the city’s remarkable performance in the latest National Achievement Test. It is heartening to see that all our efforts to provide the best education to our youth have translated to better academic and cognitive skills among our students,” Binay said.
The report also showed that the city gained an MPS of 69.82 in Problem Solving, higher than NCR (63.69) and national (60.76). In Information Literacy, Makati scored 70.59, surpassing NCR (61.56) and national (58.20). The city also performed well in Critical Thinking with a score of 65.13, way above NCR (57.74) and national (54.80).
Makati scored 74.82 in English, higher than NCR's 65.40 and national average of 61.03. In Science, Makati earned an MPS of 60.26, while NCR's average was 53.67 and national average average was 51.36.
In Mathematics, the city scored 65.51, surpassing NCR's 56.44 and the national average of 53.34.
In Filipino, Makati scored 72.27, higher than NCR's 67.51 and the national average of 64.27. Finally, in Araling Panlipunan, the city scored 69.73, exceeding NCR's 61.92 and the national average of 59.54.
Overall, Makati's combined MPS of 68.54 in the NAT is well above both the NCR average (61.02) and national average (57.94).
“Makati’s strong performance in the NAT validates our firm commitment to making better quality of education accessible to all and developing future-ready, globally competitive, and resilient citizens,” Binay noted.
The city also fared better in the Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Assessment for School Year 2023-2024 conducted among Grade 3 students.
Makati’s learners achieved an overall MPS of 78.27, surpassing both the NCR average of 68.17 and the national average of 60.50.
By learning area, the city surpassed both NCR and national average scores. In English, Makati scored 80.77, higher than NCR (70.11) and national (61.92). Makati also topped the regional and national scores in Filipino with 80.38, as compared to 71.96 and 64.35, respectively. In Numeracy, Makati scored 67.92, better than NCR’s 55.28 and national average of 50.22.
“We are proud of our young learners for doing justice to Makati’s efforts in laying a strong foundation for a better future through continuing innovations in early education,” the mayor said.
Under her administration, the city government launched various initiatives and programs that have set new standards for public education in the Philippines.
Today, Makati public schools are comparable to private schools in terms of facilities, with more classrooms being converted into smart classrooms powered by technology to make learning more interactive and engaging.
Public schools students were not only well-dressed and well-equipped with needed school materials; they also enjoy free nutritious snacks on school days.
The iconic Air Binay (AB) sneakers, with a new design each year for the past seven years, have inspired other local government units to follow suit and provide custom-made rubber shoes to their public school students.
“Our investments in education are well-thought-out because we want to ensure that every child, including those from poor families, is able to learn better and achieve their optimum potential - as successful individuals, and as productive members of society,” Binay stressed.