Suspension of regular curriculum, implementation of learning recovery sought

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has called on the Department of Education to suspend the regular academic program for eight to 12 weeks to give way to implementing an effective learning recovery program to K to 12 learners.

The EDCOM, who made the call under House Resolution No. 1805, said this prioritization of an effective learning recovery program will ensure that learners will attain functional literacy and numeracy.

It cited a World Bank study which showed nine out of 10 Filipino children aged 10 were unable to read and understand a simple text appropriate for their age, further estimating a learning gap of 5.5 years.

“To say that these figures are alarming is an understatement. The Philippines consistently ranks among the lowest in international large-scale assessments, and we cannot just sit down and do business as usual,” EDCOM 2 co-chairperson and Pasig Representative Roman Romulo said.

“We need to urgently and strategically address the learning gap and ensure that our learners are able to achieve necessary academic standards,” he added.

The resolution, which is co-authored by EDCOM commissioner and Bacolod Representative Jose Francisco Benitez, also calls for urgent conduct of assessments for all learners before the start of the intervention program to determine the level of proficiency of each learner.

Further, the resolution recommends assessing learners at the end of the program to ascertain if additional intervention is needed to help them achieve the required competencies for their grade level.

“We understand the intention of DepEd’s National Learning Recovery Program and Catch-Up Fridays but these seem to be insufficient to close the learning gaps of struggling learners. In EDCOM’s school visits and consultations, we have observed that learners are not only catching up for proficiencies of their current grade level but are also lacking the proficiencies of earlier grade levels,” Benitez said.

“Remediation should therefore be continuous throughout the year. And remedial teaching should be targeted and differentiated according to varying learning needs of struggling learners,” he added.

Romulo earlier said that Filipino students will only improve their Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) second-worst ranking in terms of creative thinking if they first master basic functional literacy, including reading comprehension. 

He was responding then to the 2022 PISA report which showed that the Philippines scored an average of 14 points in creative thinking, a score that is second to the lowest next to Albania’s 13  mean score.

“That is why under the [DepEd's] Matatag Curriculum, we reduced the subjects, reduced the competencies so the teachers could focus on basic functional literacy: reading comprehension, age-appropriate math, and science. This situation is what we really need to... and the Matatag curriculum wants to address. If we are able to enable mastery of these, higher competencies like Creative Thinking will follow. Aakyat rin po ang scores natin,” Romulo said.

On Monday, newly-appointed Education Secretary Sonny Angara said that the education sector is beset with many problems, and that he cannot solve these alone.—AOL, GMA Integrated News