At the rock bottom: Philippine math and science rankings
The latest blow in the Philippine education system is its lowest ranking in math and science global assessment.
The results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2019 show a dismal performance of the country in grade 4 international math and science assessments, which is described as significantly lower than any other participating country. On both tests, the country obtained the lowest score.
The study’s findings revealed that only 19% of Filipino students could add, subtract, multiply, and divide one- and two-digit whole numbers, solve simple word problems, and have some knowledge of simple fractions and common geometric shapes. The rest (81%) did not reach this level.
On the other hand, Singapore topped in both math and science assessments surpassing the Advanced International Benchmark and High International Benchmark, while the Philippines scored below the Low International Benchmark.
This record is not new and surprising in the Philippine education system. In 2018, the Philippines ranked among the lowest in reading, math, and science in the 2018 study of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
One of the contributing factors to our education system’s sad state is the amount of investment that the Philippine government has allocated for education. Singapore invested heavily in education, while the Philippines invested less on a per-student basis. Our country’s education system needs more funding to improve the quality of learning. Singapore also has an average of 21.79 learners per teacher. In contrast, a teacher in the Philippines has to attend to the learning needs of an average class size of 31 at the elementary level.
Another interesting fact to consider is the adoption of DepEd’s K to 12 curriculum. DepEd claims that “the sad state of basic education can be partly attributed to the congested basic education curriculum.” Congestion means overcrowding. There is too much in too little space or time. However, observers note that instead of decongesting the curriculum, what is happening is a reduction of instructional hours across the first ten years of education.
DepEd vows to recover and bounce back by reforming and upgrading its education curriculum. But with so many problems that DepEd has to deal with, perhaps it will take years before our ranking will improve.
While the government is expected to take up the cudgels of improving our education system, other stakeholders such as the parents, the learners, the teachers, and the community must also contribute their part.