The recently conducted Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 rankings by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revealed that the Philippines ranked 77th out of 81 countries globally in proficiency in reading, mathematics, and science.
This, according to the assessment, indicates that the country’s learners belong to those with lowest proficiency in regards with the said subjects around the world.
The country’s mean scores in reading, mathematics, and science garnered an average of 347 points, 355 points, and 356 points, respectively, which are all lower than the global average of 476 points, 472 points, and 385-points.
With this, the Department of Education (DepEd) stated that based on the PISA 2022 rankings, the Philippines is facing a five to six year fall back in the country’s learning competencies.
“If we follow the computation with caveats, based on the OECD with socioeconomically advantaged students, we can see that we are around five to six years behind,” Alexander Sucalit, officer-in-charge of the DepEd’s Bureau of Education Assessment-Education Research Division.
Meanwhile, ACT Teachers Party-list representative France Castro stated that with the country’s PISA results, it will be better for DepEd to appoint a secretary who is from the education sector.
“Sa resultang ito ng PISA, mukhang mas mainam na maglagay na talaga ng kalihim ng DepEd na galing mismo sa sektor ng edukasyon at alam ang dapat gawin sa kagawaran upang tunay na matuto ang mga mag-aaral,” said Castro.
Furthermore, Anakbayan, a national democratic mass organization of the Filipino youth, exclaimed that the failure of the country’s education system is the result of the Marcos-Duterte administration’s obsession with tagging students as “communists” rather than implementing educational reforms to further improve students’ potential and competencies.
“We expect that as [the] government chips away at our academic freedom, holding red tagging forums and allowing university admin to step on the youth’s right to organize and assembly, the youth’s ability to think critically will further deteriorate,” says Anakbayan.
On the other hand, Vice President and Education Chief, Sarah Duterte, said that the PISA results mean more needs to be done to improve the country’s education system.
“The PISA results are not merely a reflection of our education system, it is [also] a mirror reflecting our collective efforts, investments, and most importantly our commitment to education and the future we envision for our children,” says Duterte in a video statement.
PISA is conducted every three years which assesses the skills and knowledge of 15-year old students globally in reading, mathematics, and science. The Philippines participated for the first time in 2018.
