Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Friday the Filipino grade 4 students’ low scores in a global assessment in science and math showed a “major crisis” in the country’s basic education system.
Grade 4 students from the Philippines scored lowest among 58 countries who took the international assessment for mathematics and science, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2019 (TIMSS) reported Tuesday.
Students from the Philippines only got 297 in mathematics and 249 in science, which are “significantly lower” than any other country that participated in the tests.
The Philippines only participated in the grade 4 assessment. TIMSS is an assessment given to grades 4 and 8 learners.
TIMSS has 4 International Benchmarks along a scale to determine learners’ competence: Advanced International Benchmark (625), High International Benchmark (550), Intermediate International Benchmark (475), and Low International Benchmark (400).
“This is a major crisis. The country has been participating in global assessments as an additional tool to measure the basic education curriculum’s effectiveness. The dismal result for the third time is so depressing and should serve as a wake-up call,” Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate education committee, said in a statement.
Filipino 4th graders’ low scores in science, math a ‘major crisis’ – Gatchalian
In mathematics, 81% of the students did not even reach the Low International Benchmark. Meanwhile, the 19% reached the 400 scores meaning they had “some basic mathematical knowledge.”
For science, only 13% of Filipino students were also on the Low benchmark, which means they had “limited understanding of scientific concepts and limited knowledge of foundational science facts.” The rest of the students did not even reach this benchmark.
Meanwhile, Singapore got the highest scores in both assessments in grade 4 mathematics and science, 625 and 595, respectively. It also topped the tests for grade 8 in the same subjects, 616 (mathematics) and 608 (science).
Gatchalian reiterated his call to “decongest” the K to 12 curricula and focus on basic math, science, reading, and writing competencies.
“Kailangan nating ituring na nasa ilalim na ng isang malawakang krisis ang ating sistema ng edukasyon. Hindi na natin kailangang patagalin pa ang pagsulong sa mga reporma dahil kung hindi, patuloy na mahuhuli at mapag-iiwanan ang ating mga mag-aaral,” Gatchalian said.