Marcos tells DepEd to keep working hard to improve PISA score

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Thursday directed the Department of Education (DepEd) to work hard on improving the country's performance based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

At a Palace press briefing, DepEd officials Undersecretaries Michael Poa and Gina Gonong were asked if the President was disappointed with the recent PISA result following a sectoral meeting today at the Malacañang Palace. 

The DepEd officials said Marcos wants the agency to focus on improving teacher support, teacher quality, as well as addressing bullying and nutrition. 

''Actually, hindi naman disappointment kung hindi 'yung push na we need to keep working hard so that we improve our performance in PISA. Pero hindi nga lang PISA kung hindi performance talaga ng mga estudyante natin as a whole,'' Gonong said. 

(Actually, it's not disappointment but he wants us to push, to keep working hard to improve our performance in PISA as well as the performance of students in general.)

''In terms of what needs to be done... immediately, like kailangan magusap ang mga agencies halimbawa sa nutrition, 'yung national learning recovery program, 'yung teacher welfare, lahat 'yan kailangan naming gawin ngayon (agencies need to discuss nutrirtion, national learning recovery program, the teacher welfare, we need to these now),'' she added.

To recall, the Philippines ranked in the bottom ten among the 81 countries that participated in the study, indicating that Filipino learners continue to lag in mathematics, science, and reading.

Gonong earlier said the Philippines would still participate in the next PISA that will be conducted in 2025, but said the DepEd is not expecting so much as the new K-10 curriculum is not yet fully implemented by then. 

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Wednesday lamented the Philippines’ poor performance, saying that the results of the PISA showed the strengths and weaknesses of the country’s education system. —VAL, GMA Integrated News