Public school students’ NAT scores up

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) said that results of the 2009 National Achievement Test (NAT) showed a continuing improvement in the proficiencies of public school students over the past several years.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the inclusion of a sample group of students from private schools among the NAT takers showed that public school students fared better than their counterparts from private schools that have always been perceived as having a higher quality of education.

Lapus said that NAT 2009 examinees posted a 21.36 percent increase in the mean percentage score (MPS).

From the 54.66 percent MPS posted in the NAT 2006, the MPS for 2009 reached 66.33 percent, while the MPS of private school students was only 52.47 percent.

Kenneth Tirado, DepEd Communications Unit chief, said that this was the first time private school students were made to take the test.

“We started it because some private schools inquired last year if their students can also take the test so they can assess their competencies,” Tirado said.

Public school students’ MPS in Math was 68.70; English 59.63; Filipino 72.21 and HEKASI (Heyograpiya, Kasaysayan, Sibika) 68.99.

On the other hand, private school students’ MPS in Math was 45.02; English 56.27; Science 45.86; Filipino 66.71; and HEKASI 48.47.

The 2009 NAT was taken by some 1.76 million pupils from 31,196 public and 2,386 private elementary schools nationwide.

The NAT is an annual examination administered to public and private school students throughout the country to determine their achievement level, strengths and weaknesses in key subject areas. It covers English, Science, Math, Filipino and HEKASI with 40 test items each.

Lapus awarded students who garnered high scores in the NAT in ceremonies held recently at the SEAMEO Innotech in Quezon City.

Leading the awardees was Precious Ivy Bangis of Silang Central Elementary School who was the NAT 2009 topnotcher with a score of 95.55.

In a press conference after the ceremonies, Lapus said that the improving performance of public school students in the NAT reflects the improving conditions in public schools.

“With the recent hike in salary of public school teachers, they are now getting better pay than their counterparts in many private schools. So they are better motivated in teaching,” Lapus said.

“The improvements we see in the performance of our students are the fruits of the commitment and hard work of all stakeholders in education – the whole DepEd family, the community and the private sector,” Lapus said.

From 2006 to 2009, Lapus said that the department had put more resources on human resource development, especially on teacher training.

DepEd, he said, has also embarked on intervention programs aimed at improving key performance indicators in basic education such as the Every Child a Reader Program, continuing teacher training in teaching English, priority in hiring teachers who have majored in Math, Science and English, provision of one book each for every student in core subjects, and food for school.

It also created Project TURN or Turning Around Low Performance in English, which focused on assisting the low performing schools in terms of textbooks, instructional materials and pedagogical strategies.

DepEd’s intensified partnership with the private sector through the Adopt-A-School also contributed to the improvement of the learning environment.

Some P12 billion in private sector assistance has been coursed through Adopt-A-School since it was relaunched by Lapus in 2006. –Rainier Allan Ronda (philstar.com)