MANILA — Human development and education experts from the World Bank (WB) cited the improved performance of the Philippine education system over the years, noting the expansion of basic education and professionalized standards for teachers.
Gabriel Demombynes, WB’s Program Leader for Human Development for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, said the Philippines has been taking “great strides” in education since 2003, the last year when the country participated in international achievement testings designed to assess progress in student learning.
“It has introduced universal kindergarten and two years of senior high school and this is consistent with the practice in the world’s best school system. These kinds of advances will advance economic growth and opportunity in the long term,” he said in a press briefing.
The Philippines began implementing the enhanced curriculum for K to 12 program covering 13 years of basic education in school year 2012-2013.
A World Bank report released Thursday indicated the Philippines was among below-average performing education systems in East Asia and Pacific based on Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessments in 2003.
Demombynes also cited the country’s adoption of professional standards for teachers, which he believed could “greatly improve the quality of teaching.”
He also applauded the decision of the Department of Education (DepEd) to participate in international testings this year and 2019.
“A lot has happened in the last 15 years so we would expect to see some impact of those changes in the new scores,” he added.
WB lead education specialist Michael Crawford said, “I think the changes that have been made through K to 12, the addition of the upper ends, the additional number of school years in the Philippines, are keys and also the commitment to return to (testing) measures.”
“This is just a personal opinion of mine. I think the number and the score are much less important than what you do with the information because it shows when you are doing well and where things aren’t doing well and that’s the real value of the test,” said Crawford.
Meanwhile, the WB report said the East Asia and Pacific region has seven of the top 10 performing education systems in the world, with schools in China and Vietnam showing significant progress.
The report found that top-performing systems spend efficiently on school infrastructure and teachers, have recruitment processes to ensure the best candidates are attracted into teaching, and provide a salary structure that rewards teachers with proven classroom performance.
It also found that schools throughout the region increased preschool access, including for the poor, and have adopted student learning assessment into their educational policies. (PNA)
