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Writer's pictureLauren Zhou

An Examination of the Philippine Education System


Article by: Lauren Zhou

Visual by: Ysabelle Lim


Arguably, the quality of education in the Philippines is gradually improving with the relatively new

K-12 education system in place. Nevertheless, in 2019, the country still scored poorly for education among ASEAN countries for IMD's World Talent Ranking. Specifically, the Philippines continues to face issues including gradually lower enrollment rates, potential weaknesses in teacher training, and an insufficient proportion of the country’s GDP being spent on education.


For context, in the Philippines, primary and secondary education are free, yet some families still struggle to pay for transportation, school uniforms, and supplies. Tertiary education however, is not paid for, requiring living costs and tuition. This may factor into the decrease in net enrollment from secondary to tertiary school. In addition, admissions to public universities in the country are extremely competitive, and are dependent on secondary school performance. For instance, The University of the Philippines accepts fewer than 20% of their total applicants. Thus selective admissions may be another reason for the decrease in net enrollment from secondary to tertiary education.


Adding, in the Philippines, only 78% of Filipinos complete basic education, far from the national target of a 100% cohort survival rate. This lack of basic education makes the transition from primary to secondary education more challenging, as primary education is integral to secondary school performance, which factors into university admissions. Furthermore, Filipinos in general are less likely to pursue higher education, as shown by gradually lower enrollment rates from primary to secondary to tertiary levels. Specifically, although the disparity between primary and secondary school enrollment has narrowed from 2000 to 2010, the dropout rate between secondary and tertiary education has increased. This may be due to financial reasons, as primary and secondary education in the Philippines are paid for by the government, while tertiary education is not.


Furthermore, the number of Filipino families that lack access to education has risen in the last two years. The depreciating provision of education in the Philippines can be explained by the proportion of the country’s GDP spent on education, which was only 2.7%. Compared to other developing countries in Asia, this is a significantly lower proportion. Mongolia, for instance, spent 5.9% of their GDP, resulting in a higher secondary enrollment rate (91.6%) than the Philippines (66.0%), as reported in 2015. Likewise, other emerging economies have already begun to widen access, and GER (gross enrollment ratio) has increased in the PRC, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, but not in the Philippines. Thus, the Philippines is lagging behind other Asian countries in terms of developing their education sector.


Other than enrollment, another weakness which the Philippines should prioritize, is its quality of education. For instance, in 2014, 59.0 % (primary) and 63.0 % (secondary) of teacher education institutions did not meet national pass rates for trainees. Therefore, the quality of education is deficient, and may not be readily preparing students for the workforce. As a testament, average student scores on National Achievement Tests in the Philippines were 69.0 % for primary school and 49.0 % for secondary school. The decrease in average scores from primary to secondary education highlights the lack of preparation in primary school.


The STEM department in Filipino schools is especially weak, which is why the Philippines lacks workers in the STEM field. For example, approximately 73.0% of physics teachers and 66.0% of chemistry teachers in the Philippines do not have either a major or a minor in their respective subjects. In addition, many resources are not available to students hoping to pursue STEM: only 33.2% of secondary schools have access to the internet for pedagogical purposes, and only 83.1% of secondary schools have access to a computer.


In conclusion, the Philippines should continue to work on the challenges it faces in regards to their education system, and aim for the national target of a 100% cohort survival rate. The country must ensure that students, whether from public or private schools, should not lack access to quality education and equal educational opportunities.



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