(Contributed photo)
TACLOBAN CITY — Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre welcomed the Philippines’ improved performance in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) but urged the government to sustain education reforms and address learning gaps from the earliest years.
Filipino learners gained 17 points in science, 16 points in mathematics and 20 points in reading compared with the 2022 assessment, improving the country’s standing against several participating countries in all three areas.
“Mahalagang kilalanin ang pag-usad na ito. These gains show that progress is possible when reforms are sustained,” said Acidre, chairperson of the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.
He said the results should also reinforce the need to strengthen foundational learning, noting that difficulties encountered in higher education often stem from gaps developed during the basic education years.
“Education reform cannot begin only at the college gates,” Acidre said, stressing the need to ensure that students enter higher education with stronger reading, mathematics and science skills.
Acidre cited the work of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), which examines the country’s education system from early childhood and basic education to higher education, technical-vocational training and employment.
He said TINGOG’s education initiatives likewise seek to expand support for learners and teachers, improve access to learning and digital resources, and reach students in geographically isolated and Last Mile communities.
“These results should give us confidence, but not complacency,” Acidre said, urging policymakers to build on reforms that are working while addressing persistent gaps.
He said the ultimate measure of progress should be improved learning outcomes and better opportunities for Filipino children, rather than PISA scores alone.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
