DepEd vows ‘aggressive reforms’ after poor reading comprehension ranking

The Department of Education (DepEd) vowed "aggressive reforms" in key areas of the basic education system amid the Philippines' poor showing in reading comprehension in a global survey Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

In a statement, DepEd said it would lead the national effort for quality basic education through Sulong Edukalidad by implementing reforms in four key areas: (1) K to 12 review and updating, (2) Improvement of learning facilities, (3) Teachers and school heads’ upskilling and reskilling through a transformed professional development program; and (4) engagement of all stakeholders for support and collaboration. 

"We envision that no Filipino learners should be left behind and it takes a nation to educate a child. Hence, DepEd calls the entire nation to take active involvement, cooperation, and collaboration in advancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines," Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said.

In an interview on GMA News' Balitanghali, DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said they have begun conducting an analytical study using data from the assessment.

"Ngayon po nag sisimula na tayo ng analytical study, kasi po binibigay sa atin nung nag-supervise at nag-administer nitong assessment na ito yung mga disaggregated data," Sevilla said.

"Hindi po tayo after sa competition. Hindi rin po tayo after sa rango na makukuha natin. But we are after to check kung ano po yung sa mga polisiya natin ang dapat ma-review at ma-improve," she added.

DepEd said this was the first time the Philippines joined the PISA  "as part of the Quality Basic Education reform plan and a step towards globalizing the quality of Philippine basic education."

"By participating in PISA, we will be able to establish our baseline in relation to global standards, and benchmark the effectiveness of our reforms moving forward. The PISA results, along with our own assessments and studies, will aid in policy formulation, planning and programming," it added.

Released on December 3, the 2018 PISA results revealed that the Philippines scored 353 in Mathematics, 357 in Science, and 340 in Reading, all below the average of participating OECD countries.  —Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News