MANILA, Philippines — Students in Makati City’s public schools from Grades 3 to 10 topped the regional Test of Functional Academic Skills (TOFAS) last month, the city government announced in a statement issued on Tuesday.
TOFAS, which was administered by the Department of Education (DepEd) from Feb. 20 to 24, is a free global online testing system designed to reveal students’ fundamental and skill strengths and weaknesses.
Makati students posted the highest passing rates in mathematics across all levels, making the Schools Division Office (SDO) in Makati first among 16 SDOs in Metro Manila.
“Congratulations to our Proud Makatizen students for this latest achievement! Once again, you have proven that the city is on track in promoting academic excellence through substantial investments in programs aimed to continually raise the quality of our public education system,” Mayor Abby Binay said.
A total of 41,546 Makati students from Grades 3 to 10 took the TOFAS online test consisting of 100 multiple-choice questions that can be finished in 40 minutes on a desktop, tablet, or Android smartphone.
The students were tested on computational skills, which include decimals, fractions, integers, equations, polynomials, systems, and quadratic equations.
Meanwhile, Binay in the same statement announced that the city government has earmarked over P1 billion for Project FREE (Free Relevant and Excellent Education) and Students’ Competency Enrichment Program under SDO Makati from the Special Education Fund in 2023.
She added that the city also allocated over P140.7 million from its General Fund to programs implemented by the Education Department, including the city’s college scholarship program, high school scholarship program, incentives for outstanding students and school year completers, and Special Education Program.