Status of the Philippine basic education

By Dr. Rex Casiple

The latest ranking of the Global Education Futures Readiness Index (GEFRI) 2025 showed that the Philippines ranked 74th out of 177 countries in the world. The GEFRI evaluates the preparation of a country’s education system for the future in five areas: innovation, infrastructure, human capital, governance, and equity. The top three countries are Denmark, the Netherlands, and South Korea. Number one in Southeast Asia is Singapore.

Three years ago, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) found that the Philippines was behind by five to six years’ worth of schooling compared to other countries at the same economic level. PISA is a triennial international survey that assesses the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students in reading, mathematics, and science to evaluate the country’s education system. The Philippines ranked in the bottom 10 out of 81 participating countries in reading comprehension, mathematics, and science. Likewise, the Philippines ranked second to the last in creative thinking.

In 2019, according to the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM), 83 percent of 10-year-old children did not have minimum proficiency in mathematics. The SEA-PLM is a learning assessment and capacity-building program of Southeast Asian countries designed to improve learning outcomes for students in basic education.

In other words, the Philippines is experiencing a learning crisis despite many teaching and learning innovations and curriculum revisions in basic education. Among the factors that affect the basic learning system in the Philippines, according to the World Bank and UNICEF, are high numbers of out-of-school children, significant inequalities, and insufficient infrastructure and funding. Other factors include the impacts of climate change, digitalization needs, and sustainable development.

We cannot deny the fact that corruption is one of the factors contributing to the country’s basic education crisis. If those trillions of pesos lost in flood control projects over the last 10 years had been allocated to education—additional school buildings and classrooms, new schools in remote areas, hiring of additional teachers, increased teachers’ salaries, and scholarship programs for poor students in public and private schools, among others—more students might have been accommodated and teaching in basic education improved.

In the Philippine Constitution, basic education in the country is compulsory. The 12-year basic education level is composed of kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and senior high school. With the advancement of information technology, students in these levels shall be trained to use computers and laptops to be computer literate.

Basic education is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education (DepEd). The 2025 budget for DepEd is PHP737 billion. It is intended to address the basic education crisis in the country. This is the highest budget in the department’s history. The budget aims to improve teacher development and equip them with resources; enhance the curriculum; promote STEM education and the use of technology in teaching and learning; and create a conducive learning environment, among others.

The basic education crisis endangers the future of the next generation—the economic lifeblood of the country. As our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, said: “Ang kabataan ay pag-asa ng bayan.” The young population should be properly educated and trained, free from corruption, to become a morally educated citizenry and a skilled workforce. This will strengthen our country’s economy and society in the near future.