A REPORT ON

THE STATE OF PHILIPPINE EDUCATION

 State of PH Education

Justine B.
Raagas
Executive Director, Philippine Business for Education
Country 2017 2019

Low and Middle 57% 70%

Income Countries

Philippines 69.5% 90.9%

Photo Source: The Guardian
 Learning assessments also revealed
low learning outcomes of students
Reading: 340 Math: 353 Science: 357
In the PISA 2018, PH ranked last in reading and
second to the last in both science and mathematics
among 79 participating countries.

Reading: 297 Science: 249

In the TIMSS 2019, PH ranked last on both Math and
Science subjects out of 58 participating countries.

Reading: 288 Math: 288 Writing: 288

In the SEA-PLM 2019, PH ranked at the bottom half out
of 6 participating ASEAN countries.

RANK: 5TH RANK: 4TH RANK: 4TH

 Malnutrition also hinders our children
from learning

1 out of 3
Filipino children under 5
are undernourished and
thus not ready to learn
Data source: FNRI 2019
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the system over the edge.

Photo Source: Al Jazeera

 More than
ONE MILLION students
did not go to school.

Photo Source: Understood.org Data source: DepEd, 2021

Source: Understood.org
 1 out of 4 parents
say that their
children are not
learning.

Data source: Pulse Asia, 2021

17.7%
of the workforce
went unemployed
in 2020.
Data source: PSA, Apr 2020 LFS
EDCOM 2 lapsed into law in 2022.
Letʼs not waste this
opportunity to turn this around.
As early as 2022, we saw the urgent need to
address issues as we pushed for our own
advocacy initiative — Citizensʼ EDCOM.
 Here are the priority areas
that we need to pursue:

Education Governance Teacher Quality Data and Assessment Per Student Spending

Early Childhood Care Government- Industry- Public-Private

and Development Academia Collaboration Complementarity
 Regional Consultations
MANILA - CEBU - BAGUIO - ILOILO - CAGAYAN DE ORO
 We consulted
approximately
300 stakeholders
 As we go deeper, we have identified the
most pressing issues on the ground

?
?

Declining Lack of Teacher Culture of Lack of Proper

Mental Health Support Mass Promotion of Assessment
Students
 DECLINING MENTAL HEALTH
Students experience stress and anxiety due to
lack of socialization and difficulties with school work

Teachers are overburdened by

teaching both online and
face-to-face
 LACK OF TEACHER SUPPORT
Pre-service: “Mag-teacher ka na lang”

Teacher courses become backup courses for

college applicants because they find the current
context of the teaching profession unappealing.

Source: Sunstar
LACK OF TEACHER SUPPORT
Pre-service: BS Education Curriculum Misalignment
What is taught in college is different
from what is tested by PRC and
needed by DepEd.
LACK OF TEACHER SUPPORT
In-service: Less time to teach

Teachers are unable to teach properly

because they are forced to comply
with other non-teaching
requirements such as administrative
reports and committee work.
LACK OF TEACHER SUPPORT
In-service: Recruitment and Retention

Obstacles in the recruitment, promotion, and

recognition of potential teachers
● Overworked
● Underpaid
● Disillusioned with their profession
● Sought better opportunities abroad
CULTURE OF MASS PROMOTION OF STUDENTS
● Passing students regardless of grades
or competencies

● There is an association between

learner outcomes to teachersʼ bonuses
and promotions

● The schoolsʼ performance in regional

rankings provides indirect pressure for
teachers to pass all their students.
 LACK OF BASIC FUNDAMENTALS

Effects of Reading Writing Numeracy

Mass Promotion LACK OF BASIC VALUES

of Students

Hard Work Resiliency Punctuality Respect

 LACK OF PROPER ASSESSMENT
Absence of accurate, timely and consistent
assessments keep us blinded from reality

● Determining learning level and remdiation

interventions are needed to improve
studentʼs learning.

● Low scores should be viewed as inputs for

interventions needed, not as shortcomings
of students or teachers

Source: Brookings Institution

 [Updated] priority areas that we need
to pursue:

Data and Per Student Early Childhood

Education Governance Teacher Quality Care and
Assessment Spending Development

?
?

Government-Industry-Academia Public-Private Automatic Mass Studentsʼ

Collaboration Complementarity Promotion Well-being
 We need all hands-on-deck.

MATATAG Agenda and The private sector can help The public should clamor
EDCOM 2 has set sail but we government in resources for more transparency and
need to keep bringing and expertise (i.e. tutors for accountability
support for it to flourish K-3 learning camp of DepEd)
 EVERY SECOND COUNTS.
WE NEED TO ACT FASTER THAN EVER.