DepEd: Achievement rates of students declining

MANILA, Philippines –   The Department of Education (DepEd) bared yesterday the declining achievement rates in the past years of elementary and high school students nationwide.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro presented graphs showing a downward trend representing achievement levels and survival rates of elementary and high school students. The graphs were part of his report on the state of basic education at the National Education Summit held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati.

DepEd records showed a declining achievement level of elementary and high school students based on National Achievement Tests (NAT) results from 2005 to 2010.

DepEd, with the support of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), held the education summit to give education stakeholders the state of basic education, higher education and technical-vocational education in the country as it presents solutions and reforms it seeks to implement in the next few years.

NAT results of high school students from 2005 to 2010 showed that the mean percentage score (MPS) of students dropped from school year 2007-08, which posted an MPS of 49.26 percent, to 47.40 percent in 2008-09, and down to 46.30 percent in 2009 to 2010.

For the elementary achievement test results, negligible gains were made with low MPS results of 64.81 percent in 2007-08, 66.33 percent in 2008 to 2009, and 69.21 percent in 2009 to 2010.

The cohort survival rate or the percentage of students that made it to the next higher level in both elementary and high school levels also declined from 2007 to 2010.

For the elementary school level, the cohort survival rate went from 75.26 percent in 2007-08 to 75.39 percent in 2008-09, and back down to 74.38 percent in 2009 to 2010.

For the high school level, the cohort survival rate went from 79.91 percent in 2007-08, 79.73 in 2008-09, and down to 78.44 percent in 2009 to 2010.

Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said that the DepEd and CHED should take a closer look at the statistics from which it should present the true sad state of neglect of education in the country.

“In previous years, we have always heard rosy statistics from DepEd about the supposed improving achievement levels. Now, we see the true picture of the ugly state of affairs,” Tinio said.

“These are bleak statistics that should be highlighted to force the government to take more drastic action to arrest the deterioration of the state of education by allotting more resources to education in the next few years,” Tinio said.

Luistro also presented their ambitious K (Kindergarten)+12 Basic Education Curriculum program as one of their main solutions to improve the learning competencies of Filipino graduates and raise their chances of getting employed. –Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)