Confronting gaps in the Philippine education system

The country’s education system shows strain across many stages of learning, starting from early childhood and stretching through college. Yet, it remains one of the least supported areas in public policy.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, 24 million Filipinos ages 10 to 64 are functionally illiterate. About 5.8 million cannot read or write at a basic level. In 2024, one in five high school graduates reached adulthood without basic reading, writing, arithmetic and comprehension skills.

The World Bank found that 91% of 10-year-old Filipino children struggle to read simple text. The government point to the coronavirus pandemic as part of the reason the problem grew worse.

Despite this, many parents still believe that children under age 5 are “too young” for school. Long distances to child development centers limit access, while many families rely on relatives or older siblings for childcare because at least 40% of parents work away from home.

According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), teachers feel the weight of these early gaps once children reach Grade 3. Many students perform one to two grade levels below what is expected.

Learning camps engaged only 10% of students who needed extra help. Only a little more than half of those targeted completed assessment requirements. Several policies meant to support reading, math and science improvement have been pending since 2023.

Lost learning days also add to the problem, as class suspensions due to weather, local holidays and other disruptions wipe out a large portion of the school year. In some regions, students already missed more than 40 school days. EDCOM 2 link these absences to steep drops in Grade 4 Math and Science performance.

Selective schools like the Philippine Science High School System face capacity limits. Between 2022 and 2025, more than 5,800 students who passed the entrance exam were unable to secure a slot. Private school students passed at higher rates than those from public schools, highlighting concerns about foundational learning differences.

The Department of Education (DepEd) rolled out reforms under the MATATAG curriculum, but schools report delays. As of January 2025, only 35 of 90 needed textbook titles for Grades 4 and 7 reached classrooms.

Program oversight also affects students in arts, journalism, languages, sports, science and technical-vocational tracks. EDCOM 2 reports show that many schools run these programs with unclear guidelines or inconsistent resources.

On the other hand, the Alternative Learning System (ALS), created to help out-of-school youth and adults, has low reach. Out of an estimated 4.9 million out-of-school youth, only around 600,000 enter the program, and only half of those finish. Funding remains at P7 million per region regardless of population size. Many community learning centers operate in makeshift spaces, and several policy guidelines under the ALS Act of 2020 remain pending.

College participation hovers at nearly 35%, which remains below the regional average. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) records the lowest participation.

Dropout numbers in higher education remain high, with BARMM recording a 93% attrition rate. Several other regions show dropouts above 50%.

Free tuition under Republic Act No. 10931 helped more families enter college, but the rise in enrollment placed state universities near full capacity. Local universities accept more students, though many offer fewer academic programs.

The Tertiary Education Subsidy adjusted its rules to focus aid on the poorest students. However, reductions in subsidy amounts may limit the courses these students can take, especially those that already have limited slots.

The Commission on Higher Education updates program requirements at long intervals. Reviews often happen once every 11 years. Current policies lean toward a single model focused on research output, even though many schools operate on much smaller scales. Only a small portion of the population enters graduate studies, keeping the country’s research activity below global and regional averages.

Meanwhile, Filipino students ranked among the lowest performers in the Programme for International Student Assessment’s 2022 creative thinking test, scoring an average of 14 points. This figure placed the Philippines in the bottom tier out of 64 participating nations.

Facing resource shortage

Education spending remains at 3.6% of gross domestic product, which falls below the range advised by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. About 5,000 campuses function without electricity, and around 10,000 have no clean water supply.

In terms of teacher’s competency, 66% of teachers use low to medium-low levels of effective classroom practices, and no teacher reached the high level of effective pedagogy. A World Bank review reported that a high school Math teacher answered only 31% of subject-related questions fully, and about 62% of high school teachers handle classes outside their field of study.

School space issues remain widespread, as the country lacks more than 165,000 classrooms. Urban centers deal with overcrowded rooms, while many rural schools rely on aging buildings that struggle to withstand harsh weather. Only about 30% of public school structures are considered in good condition. To manage space shortages, many campuses use shifting schedules that split students into morning and afternoon groups.

Decades of education reforms

Since 1946, administrations have tried to widen learning opportunities. The 1987 Constitution affirms every learner’s right to quality education, but shortages in funding, teacher development and school facilities continue to slow improvement in classrooms nationwide.

One major measure to close the education gap is the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act, or ARAL, which aims to help students who struggle with reading and basic math.

The Education department aims to align its recovery programs with the ARAL Act. A draft policy unifying the National Reading Program and the National Mathematics Program into the P3 framework is under final review to reinforce literacy and numeracy in higher grade levels.

For early childhood education, the Early Childhood Care and Development Systems Act directs local governments to establish their own offices, hire permanent child development staff and upgrade facilities. A joint circular between DepEd and the Department of Budget and Management instructs low-income local governments to set up child development centers.

However, national standards for early learning are still under discussion, and participation is low. Only about 1% of children aged 0 to 2 are enrolled in early learning programs, along with 21% of those aged 3 to 4.

The National Learning Recovery Program stands as the widest effort so far, reaching more than 2.7 million learners across more than 35,000 schools. A separate tutoring initiative, Tara Basa, supported more than 62,000 students across different regions.

With these initiatives, early assessments reported improvements. English reading proficiency grew by 15% among participating learners, while the number needing full intervention fell by 32%. Filipino assessments showed a 25% rise in grade readiness and a 36% drop in those who required a full refresher.

Investments in learning materials also increased. As of October 2024, more than 7 million pieces of science and math equipment, and more than 200,000 technical-vocational tools had been purchased. More than 49 million textbooks for subjects such as Science, Social Studies and Math were also acquired.

Procurement in 2023 and 2024 included more than 22 million pieces of science and math equipment and more than 779,000 units of technical-vocational tools. Textbook and learning material deliveries reached more than 58 million pieces. Packages included assistive laptops for learners with disabilities, along with more than 55,978 information and communication technology packages for schools nationwide.

“Education is not solely the responsibility of one sector,” said Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara in Filipino. “DepEd acts collectively — together with government agencies, local governments, and the entire community — for the future of the youth.” — Mhicole A. Moral