CHANGING the curriculum is not the only solution to the learning crisis in the country, academics and writers said, in response to proposals from some legislators. The legislative proposal came in the wake of the release of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) report last week on the state of Philippine education.
The voices from academe and the literary community noted that changing the curriculum is always the knee-jerk reaction of legislators. They forget that a new curriculum has to be allowed to run its course of three years, before it can be evaluated and revised. And such revision is a gargantuan task, since it involves an overhaul of curriculum guides for the textbooks, among other major issues.
The professors and writers were one in saying that malnutrition, lack of reading materials and mass promotion are all part of the problem. The Edcom 2 released a withering report that a three-year study has shown learner proficiency plummeting from 30.52 percent at Grade 3, to just 0.47 percent by Grade 12.
There were other new findings for 2025: the “lack of learning resources for early childhood, the limited coverage of Department of Health and Department of Social Welfare and Development nutrition interventions for children aged zero to four, the need to address ‘mass promotion’ in public schools, and the proliferation of diploma mills in higher education.”
Prof. Lizamarie Olegario of the University of the Philippines noted the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be blamed for the learning crisis, since the problems affecting the Philippines’ learners are systemic. Writer Jerry Gracio also bucked the legislators’ proposal for another swift change in the curriculum. Olegario said the educational challenges that the country faces are “systemic” and a curriculum change may just be cosmetic.
One problem that Edcom 2 noted is malnutrition, which affects learner proficiency. A malnourished or undernourished child will have slower brain development, which leads to attention problems and weak memory, affecting acquisition of knowledge and skills.
One challenge that is not often discussed is the limited language exposure of parents to their children as well as lack of reading materials in the household. Children are already learning even before they start schooling. But learning at home is hampered when both parents work, even holding down two jobs to keep body and soul together. Or the only learning resource that the children have is a television set, or their parents’ cellphone.
Research studies have shown the importance of a print-rich environment for children to learn words, shapes, colors and concepts. Online images seem dynamic, but the children’s eyes just gloss over them. There is still deeper impression of words and images in the young minds when they come from printed materials.
Academics have also noted the congested curriculum, something that we have already written about in this editorial space. One proposal is the “less is more” approach, with teachers focusing on literacy and numeracy for Grades 1 to 3. Large class sizes can also be a problem. The ideal class size should be 20 students instead of 40-60, which is the norm in many public schools. For college, the ideal class size is 30.
Another problem is mass promotion, in which students are promoted to a higher grade even though they have not yet passed their subjects. The students cite poverty as the main reason for their absenteeism and lack of time to absorb the knowledge and skills in the classroom. Thus, we have the cycle of students who cannot read or write being promoted up and up until they reach high school, with barely enough skills to comprehend a short essay or solve an arithmetic problem.
The DepEd, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) have also partnered to address the Philippine learning crisis and align education with labor demands. Following the Edcom 2 report, they are creating permanent working groups for curriculum alignment, data sharing and strengthening senior high school technical-vocational paths.
The trifocal agencies are treating the Edcom’s 10-year plan as a “compass” for reform. Tesda and DepEd are integrating their databases to speed up certification for technical-vocational-livelihood (TVL) learners. The priority areas include early childhood care, inclusive education and literacy recovery. The agencies will also connect classrooms with careers by improving the Joint Voucher Delivery Program and aligning with industry needs. Their goal is to create a “seamless” transition for learners.
All hands should be on deck to solve this complex problem.
