Alarm sounded over education in the Philippines

It was the Philippine Department of Education that first raised the alarm in 2006 that the quality of education in the country had sunk to its lowest level, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said. “The problem is systemic. The entire system is [seriously affected],” he said, reacting to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s admission that the state of education continued to worsen during a consultative meeting in Baguio City earlier this week.

“The issues confronting us are the [result] of decades of under-investment, understatement ... English has had to take a back seat. The reading skills also suffered with many Grade 6 students unable to read,” he said.

Consider this: Of the elementary school teachers tested for English proficiency in the school year 2006-2007 by the education department, only 60% passed. The secondary education teachers fared worse—only 20% passed, 70% were below the desired proficiency and 10% failed the test. Read more in The Philippine Daily Inquirer online.