Dismal 2022 PISA score more than basic education problem – educator
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s dismal score for the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is not only a basic education problem, said an educator on Wednesday.
In a Senate hearing, Dr. Portia Padilla of the University of the Philippines – College of Education emphasized that the matter should also be a cause of concern for higher education.
“The PISA problem is not just a basic education problem. It’s also a higher education problem. But then, we say that we produced the products — true. But then you’re supposed to have the last frontier, so to speak,” said Padilla.
“The Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET). How come education graduates who passed the LET and they end up not performing so well in the actual classrooms?,” she added.
PISA, a triennial test conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, seeks to determine the academic performance of 15 year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science.
The country’s 2022 PISA score showed that Filipino students who took part in the assessment were up to six years behind compared to their fellow 15-year-olds who took the test.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte admitted that the poor ranking revealed what she called an “uncomfortable truth” about the Philippine education system.
Teaching, reading undervalued in PH
Padilla also noted that the country undervalues teaching and reading. She believes that these all boil down to the country’s dismal 2022 PISA rating.
“We have to admit it — as a people, we don’t really value the teaching profession. Because if we did we wouldn’t pay a measly amount as salary to our teachers,” she said.
To further prove her point, Padilla lamented the fact that most venues for teachers’ licensure exam are held “beside streets” with noisy surroundings and in non-air conditioned classrooms.
She likewise pointed out that if the country values reading, the national government will “seriously implement” Republic Act 7743 which mandates the establishment of a reading center in every barangay.
In the end, she emphasized that “we are a part of the problem.” Hence, there is a need to be a part of the solution and take concrete steps.
