MANILA - The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said it continues to address factors to further improve the quality of education, amid results of a study that ranked the Philippines last among countries in Grade 4 math and science.

DepEd Undersecretary for Curriculum and Instruction Diosdado San Antonio said the department is trying to address factors that were identified in the 2018 World Development Report.

“It goes with like the motivation of the learners, the commitment and competence of the teachers, the effectiveness of school management and the availability of learning resources,” San Antonio said.

• DepEd vows to address Filipinos' declining English proficiency

In an interview on ANC, San Antonio also said that the government has been investing on educational facilities, and transformed the National Educators Academy of the Philippines to improve teacher competencies through trainings.

“In fact, recently, we also reviewed the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers to be more attentive to the competencies expected of them so that they could be very effective,” he said.

He said DepEd is also reviewing the curriculum.

“The first phase has been finished. We discovered that while the standards, the contents and the learning standards are at par with those identified with other countries around the world, our curriculum as it is now prior to COVID 19 is congested,” he said.

• PH ranks last among 58 countries in Grade 4 math, science: study

A Netherlands-based research institute on Tuesday released the results of its study that showed Filipinos faring worst among 58 countries in assessment for mathematics and science for Grade 4 students.

According to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2019 by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), the Philippines scored 297 in math and 249 in science.

San Antonio said they are also streamlining the DepEd’s participation in international large-scale assessments like PISA or the Program for International Student Assessment because it covers subjects like math, science, and reading.

“This international large scale assessment we would be able to monitor the extent of effectiveness of the initiatives were currently pursuing now,” he said.

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He also said that it is important to strengthen the DepEd’s “Sulong Edukalidad” campaign that aims to improve the quality of education in the country.

“I think its a matter of intensifying all these efforts,” he said. “We will always be trying to make adjustments, monitor what’s happening and evaluate with the necessary adjustments on the plans.”

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