The government should reassure Filipino families that it has the education crisis under control by revealing the “interventions” it plans to put in place.
This was the call of an education advocacy group after the World Bank reported this week that over 80 percent of Filipino students fall below the minimum proficiency levels.
Earlier, PEACE Party-list urged the government to implement a program that would help students catch up on missed learning opportunities because of the year-long school closure.
“We hope that in the coming days the government will report on the concrete steps it plans to take to address the education issue, which has persisted even before the pandemic,” Marie Paz T. Abante, president of the Philippine Educators Alliance for Community Empowerment (PEACE) Party-list, said.
The World Bank report was based on three assessment programs the Philippines participated in: the Program for International Student (Pisa) in 2018, the Trends in International Mathematical and Science Study (TIMSS) in 2019, and the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) in 2019.
Earlier, PEACE Party-list urged the government to implement a program that would help students catch up on missed learning opportunities because of the year-long school closure.
A study by the Asian Development Bank showed that the shift to a remote learning system due to the pandemic has resulted in learning losses, stunting of future job opportunities and income decline worth about $180 (around P8,600) yearly.
“We fear that if our families are not reassured, those struggling to finance their children’s education would view schooling as a futile endeavor if the kids aren’t learning, anyway,” Abante said.
She said that such could lead to an increase in the number of school dropouts.
“Kaya mahalagang ilahad ng pamahalaan ang istratehiya para tugunan ang krisis. Kailangang maipakita natin na seryoso tayo, na may dagdag na pondo para sa mga paaralan at para mabigyan ng sapat at epektibong learning tools ang kabataan,” Abante added.
