The improved performance in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) is a much-needed boost to the country’s morale after years of being in the news for a worsening and deepening learning crisis.
But while these gains are a reason to celebrate, many more challenges lie ahead, and the crisis is far from resolved. It continues to threaten future generations unless problems—like teacher and classroom shortages—among others, are addressed.
The country scored 373 in science, 371 in mathematics, and 367 in reading, up 17, 16, and 20 points, respectively, from its 2022 results. It ranked 77th out of 91 countries and economies in science, 74th out of 90 in mathematics, and 72nd out of 90 in reading. These figures were also the country’s best Pisa performance since participating in the assessment in 2018.
However, it is sobering to note that while the Philippines was heralded as the “fastest-improving” country in reading literacy, the results were still below the average scores of 482 in science, 463 in mathematics, and 461 in reading in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations.
Baseline level
The official OECD report showed that more Filipino students reached Level 2 or higher, considered the baseline level of proficiency. At level 2 in science, students are expected to recognize explanations for familiar scientific phenomena and at least determine whether available data support a conclusion. In mathematics, they should recognize how simple situations can be represented mathematically; while in reading, they should identify the main idea of a moderately long text and identify information based on explicit criteria.
The share of Filipino students reaching at least level 2 went up to 32 percent in 2025 from 23 percent in 2022 for science; 21 percent from 16 percent for mathematics; and 31 percent from 24 percent in reading. However, OECD data showed that most Filipino 15-year-olds remained below minimum proficiency.
To compare, the average for the OECD was 74 percent for science, 65 percent for mathematics, and 69 percent for reading.
In addition, top-level performance remained extremely rare, with no Filipino students reaching Level 5 or 6 in science and mathematics, or Level 5 or higher in reading.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara noted that the country’s scores should also be taken in the context of how other Southeast Asian nations have improved their ranking. Vietnam, for example, which spends 20 percent of its national budget on education, with a focus on teachers’ welfare and training, has performed closer to the OECD average.
Official remedial program
The Marcos administration has touted the P1.35 trillion it allocated to the education sector this year as a record-high. But think tank Ibon Foundation pointed out that the increase does not take into account the projected growth in enrolment, nor does it provide enough funding to close the classroom gap.
A look at next year’s proposed National Expenditure Program also raises red flags. For one, no budget has been earmarked for the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (Aral) program under Republic Act No. 12028 enacted in October 2024. The Department of Education’s (DepEd) official remedial program meant to address students’ skills gap in reading, mathematics, and science, received P9 billion this year. Leaving it with zero budget in 2027 is tantamount to abandoning a crucial program that came about as a direct result of the country’s previously dismal Pisa performance.
Angara told the House committee on appropriations this week that 4.5 million out of the 6.7 million students it admitted under Aral were no longer considered struggling readers. The DepEd has proposed almost P16 billion for the program to sustain these gains.
On the right track
The Bayang Bumabasa initiative has also not received any budget for next year. Angara has sought a P50 million budget for the campaign, which the DepEd launched last year together with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) to address foundational reading and literacy crises among early-grade students.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, a former cochair of the Edcom 2, said the latest Pisa results should help the government craft policies and shape next year’s education budget. He named the Aral program, hiring of new teachers, and early child development as among the items that should be given budget priority. “We must sustain the momentum to ensure that these gains translate into lasting improvements in learning outcomes,” he said.
But words mean nothing if crucial initiatives and personnel and infrastructure backlogs are not fully funded. Indeed, there is still so much to be done in addressing the country’s learning crisis.
The country’s performance in the latest Pisa proves it is on the right track, but the government must now put its money where its mouth is to sustain the momentum.