Don’t blame teachers for Philippines’ low ranking

October 16, 2024

MANILA – Blaming teachers’ incompetence as the main cause of the crisis in Philippine education is a direct insult to the country’s teaching force.

The recent results of international standardized tests came out as a disappointment to most of us, as we ranked lowest among the 64 countries that participated in them. The Philippines ranked at the bottom in terms of creative thinking ability, with similar poor performance in science, mathematics, and reading. Such results have resulted in finger-pointing, with teachers and the present educational system blamed for the dismal ranking.

However, being a teacher for 15 years with extensive experience in both private and public schools, I’ve seriously thought about why we are not performing well in global assessments. Based on my analysis, the competencies included in the lessons and topics are sufficient for learners to be promoted to the next school level. Further, the need for learners to complete performance tasks in every subject gives them the platform to develop skills way beyond mere memorization and comprehension. This means that analytical thinking and creative thinking are already being practiced by the learners as they plan and strategize on outputs that they are going to present and submit.

During the presentation of outputs, verbal communication, and logical thinking are also demonstrated by the learners. In this output creation, the learners are genuinely trained in many ways. This is in line with what the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II) Year One Report pointed out about the need for Philippine education to shift targets from “perfect on paper” toward “doable in practice.”

I think what the present education system offers