At least 78% of students in the Philippines failed to meet the minimum proficiency levels in three subjects of the global Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018, not 75% as President Ferdinant Marcos Jr. erroneously said in a recent speech.
Referring to the educational crisis at the ceremonial signing of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Act or Republic Act 12028 n Oct. 18, Marcos said at the 1:24 mark:
In 2018, the Programme for International Student Assessment revealed that a staggering 75 percent of Filipino learners fell below the minimum proficiency levels in reading, mathematics, and science.
A total of 81% of Filipino students performed below the minimum proficiency levels in mathematics and reading and 78% in science in the 2018 PISA, according to the country report published by the World Bank and the country note by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which administers the international assessment.
The baseline for proficiency is at least a level 2, or a score of 407 for reading, 420 for mathematics, and 410 for science. Filipino students scored 340, 353, and 357, respectively.
The OECD said:
A smaller proportion of students in the Philippines performed at the highest levels of proficiency (Level 5 or 6) in at least one subject; at the same time a smaller proportion of students achieved a minimum level of proficiency (Level 2 or higher) in all three subjects.
The study found the Philippines lacking in financial, human, and digital learning resources necessary for student learning. Of the 79 participating countries, it had the lowest cumulative spending per pupil at $8,474.
The PISA is conducted every three years by the OECD among 15-year-old students to test their literacy in core subjects. Participating countries can use the results to gauge their educational performance against fellow participants, and reform academic systems.
The Philippines first participated in 2018, where it ranked 79th in reading and 78th in science and mathematics. Its results in all three subjects showed no significant difference in the 2022 report.
RA 12028 or the ARAL law aims to strengthen Filipino learners’ foundational competencies through tutorials and other types of intervention. (JP)