PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is disheartened that Filipino students are poor in mathematics, science and reading. He cited the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) which showed that the staggering 75 percent of Filipino learners “fell below the minimum proficiency levels in reading, mathematics and science.”
The President has all the right reasons to be seriously concerned. This is because the very disappointing showing of young Filipinos in these three important school subjects was confirmed three years later in early 2022.
Filipino students aged 15 to 16 years old are still lagging behind in mathematics, reading and science compared to learners from other countries which are participating in this program.
PISA 2022 holds its assessment every three years, and this is the second year that local students were assessed because our participation in the program started only in 2018.
`The government is confident that the building of young minds, especially about love of learning and critical analysis, should start at the lowest level…’
The study is based on scientific data and analysis, with 7,193 Filipino students from 188 schools participating in the assessment, which involved two hour-long tests each devoted to one subject.
The Department of Education (DepEd) under then secretary Vice President Sara Duterte tried to make a dent in solving the problem in reading by adopting the “Catch-Up Fridays” learning intervention program. Under this program, half of all Fridays would be dedicated only to reading while the other half would be devoted to peace, values, health education, and home-room matters.
Marcos wanted more results, and so he signed Republic Act (RA) 12028 or the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Law to accelerate learning recovery and improve the quality of education in the country. The measure passed the House of Representatives and the Senate with ease since many lawmakers wanted to be associated with educational reforms.
Marcos said the learning gaps have become alarming, “highlighting the urgency of the learning crisis that we confront today. It is imperative therefore that we acknowledge this massive challenge, determine the necessary steps, and prioritize the implementation of learning interventions.”
He stressed that the ARAL Law seeks to confront the broader challenges of mastering essential competencies and recovering from the learning loss through structured tutorial sessions.
Under the law, the DepEd will conduct a free national learning intervention program that will tap teachers and para-teachers, and pre-service teachers or those students enrolled in a teacher degree program offered by teacher education institutions to help struggling learners attain the competencies set by the agency.
The program will try to improve students’ competencies in essential learning areas, including reading and mathematics for Grades 1 to 10, and science for Grades 3 to 10.
The ARAL Program will focus on building foundational skills of the kindergarten learners to strengthen their literacy and numeracy competencies. The government is confident that the building of young minds, especially about love of learning and critical analysis, should start at the lowest level, nurtured through the years by inculcating discipline and encouragement both from parents and teachers.
\We hope that this new education measure will produce positive results in our students’ learning curve.
