ILOILO City – The Philippines has climbed out of the bottom 10 in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), signaling what Education Secretary Sonny Angara described as a significant turnaround in the country’s long-struggling education system.
Speaking before about 800 education officials, school heads and division superintendents at the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 Literacy and Numeracy Expo at Punta Villa Resort in Arevalo, Iloilo City on November 4, Angara said the country’s improving international assessment performance reflects the government’s intensified efforts to address learning deficiencies.
“Isa pa sa mga instructions ni Pangulong (Ferdinand) Bongbong (Marcos Jr.) was to improve our assessments… Ano po’ng nangyari? In the 2025 PISA, we are one of the best performers in terms of trajectory… Wala pa tayo doon sa top 10, pero wala na rin tayo sa bottom 10. Dahil if you recall, 2018 and 2022 nasa bottom six tayo… In fact in 2028, we are absolutely at the rock bottom,” Angara shared.
Angara said the country’s improving performance had drawn international recognition, citing German education specialist Andreas Schleicher, whom he described as the founder of PISA.
“Ganoon kalaki, maybe not on our shores, domestically it’s no big deal, but, abroad… even the founder of PISA said that the Philippines is on upwards trajectory. The actual words said by Andreas Schleicher, a German Specialist in Education, the words he used to describe us as an “education system on the move.” So, sana, ‘di mawawala ang momentum na ‘yan, and events like this take us further, deeper and farther than we have been,” he added.
“These are unprecedented efforts; we didn’t do that in the past, and I think this gives us momentum to build on going forward into 2029,” Angara stressed.
Despite the reported gains, Angara emphasized that sustaining improvements in literacy and numeracy remains essential to strengthening the country’s educational performance.
He said President Marcos had directed DepEd to prioritize foundational learning, particularly reading, writing and arithmetic.
“One of the instructions of the President was ‘focus on the basics’ – three hours reading, writing, arithmetic. Perfect po ito, literacy and numeracy,” he said.
Angara also reiterated the administration’s commitment to improving teachers’ working conditions, providing better equipment and expanding opportunities for career advancement.
“I remember it very clearly; we met in his personal study in Malacañang, and he (Marcos) gave me a few instructions he’d like to see, and one of them was to take care of our teachers. We are buying the best possible hardware we can for our teachers, and I can tell you to this day that we are working very hard to promote our teachers and give them what they deserve,” Angara said.
“Not only our teachers, but also our school officials and staff,” he added.
To ease teachers’ workloads, DepEd is implementing the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, which includes hiring external tutors to assist struggling learners without adding excessive remedial teaching responsibilities to regular classroom teachers.
Angara also underscored the importance of restoring meaningful face-to-face interaction among students amid growing concerns over excessive gadget use and school violence.
“In the wake of school violence, school shooting, school stabbings, sabi ng Presidente, let’s go back as to what worked before and sabi niya na what will work now in the age of social media where you cannot get your children away from their phones and gadgets, we need to give them real life human engagement,” he said.
“We need to get them to socialize with each other, and ano po ang venue for that? Sports, clubs, scouting, and various activities. Chess is one of the cheapest because magkano lang ang chessboard,” Angara said.
Meanwhile, the three-day Literacy and Numeracy Expo, held from November 3 to 5 alongside a Training of Trainers program, brings together education leaders across Western Visayas to identify, evaluate and replicate effective interventions addressing learning gaps.
Schools division offices from Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Iloilo City, Passi City and Roxas City are showcasing innovative teaching practices and successful literacy and numeracy programs.
The event also highlights DepEd Region 6’s Five-Point Priority Agenda, strengthens collaboration among education stakeholders and recognizes schools implementing effective learning interventions.
Angara said the administration wants learning deficiencies identified and addressed at the earliest possible stage.
“’Yan talaga ang gusto ng Marcos administration — bata pa lang turuan na magbasa, at kung meron mang deficiencies, ma-address as early as possible. Sabi nga ng Pangulo, ‘Let us focus on the basics,’” Angara said, reassuring regional stakeholders of the Central Office’s full backing./PN
