PISA 2018 results

THIS PAST week, there has been a watershed moment of sorts for Philippine education. The newly released PISA 2018 results put the Philippines at the bottom of 79 countries when it came to reading, science, and mathematical skills.

To be fair, we were not at the very bottom of science and math, but the fact that our country as a whole has always taken pride in our English proficiency makes the very low testing score for reading a very sore point.

What is PISA?

PISA is short for the Programme for International Student Assessment. It is run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), whose goal is to build better policies for better lives. PISA tests the knowledge and skills of students directly.

Metrics for the test are based on international agreements, and data from students, teachers, schools, and education systems are also considered. In this way, PISA helps educational systems and policymakers make necessary changes to improve education in their own countries, by giving them the capability to make informed decisions. 

The test is given to 15-year-old students, following a rigorous selection process to take country and socio-economic data into account. Given what PISA is for, we should look at their analysis and interpretations of the data on hand.
One important point is that economically disadvantaged students were less likely to attain even the minimum level of proficiency in reading. The Philippines was mentioned as a country where the correlation between socio-economic status and educational performance is particularly strong. Hence, the suggestion of the OECD is that interventions should be targeted in schools where there are many disadvantaged students.

If we look further, the OECD’s own notes on structural policy for our country reveals that there may be a mismatch between labor supply and industry demands. 44.5 percent of those with high school education were unemployed in 2012, and 34.8 percent of those with college education were unemployed, as well. Even though the unemployment rates for that time fall sharply in the 25 to 34 age bracket, it shows that there is difficulty in finding employment for the youth, even back then.  

But socio-economic issues aside, what is disturbing is another analytical point that the test revealed. In countries like the Dominican Republic, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Panama and the Philippines, at least 60 percent of the students tested agreed that intelligence was something that could not be changed much at all.

The data analysis concluded that these students were not likely to invest in themselves so they could succeed in school, and consequently, in their lives. This analysis isn’t helped by the fact that in Kosovo, Morocco, and the Philippines, even our highest-performing students scored only around the OECD average.

Indeed, in our own 2013 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), there is a significant percentage in our youth who have cited lack of interest in education as a reason for not going to school — 15 percent overall in the ages of six to 24 years old, and highest at 46.1 percent among those aged 12 to 15 years. 

How humbling it is to realize that even our best and brightest 15-year-olds who were tested in PISA were only at the average level globally — and that statistically, many of our youth feel that they cannot rise above their current circumstances, or even see the benefits of proper, quality education.

But faced with the PISA results, we should not be let down or angry; in fact, we should thank the OECD for giving a second opinion on how our literacy and, in the larger scope, our education measures up to global standards.

I would say that we should take it up as a challenge to do better, to become world-class not only in our own eyes, but in the eyes of other countries in the world.

To this end, I applaud development on two fronts: the first is that Education Secretary Leonor Briones has ordered a review of our basic education curriculum, with the launch of the Sulong Edukalidad battlecry and initiative, with “KITE” as its main focus — 1) K to 12 Curriculum review and update; 2) Improvement of learning environment, 3) Teachers’ upskilling and reskilling, and 4) Engagement of stakeholders for support and collaboration.

The second one is that the Philippine Statistics Authority issued on Oct. 4 this year the clearance to conduct the 2019 FLEMMS. This will surely help the DepEd and other government and private partners in education with data that they can use to rise to the challenge that PISA has given us.

It is in the spirit of the challenge arising that we encourage that our education, labor, and industry stakeholders come to the table to discuss how we can best address the challenge of the PISA 2018 results — what actions or interventions should be done, both for the short- and long-term.

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Sen. Sonny Angara has been in public service for 15 years — nine years as Representative of the Lone District of Aurora, and six as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 200 laws.  He recently won another term in the Senate. (Email: sensonnyangara@yahoo.com| Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @sonnyangara)/PN