THE PHILIPPINES is searching for a $150-million loan from the World Bank (WB) to enhance the standard of public education amid a learning crisis.
The proposed loan will fund the Project for Learning Upgrade Support, which incorporates programs aimed toward accelerating and recovering learning for 21.1 million learners of Grade K to 10, in accordance with a loan document uploaded on the World Bank website on Nov. 4.
The project will even seek to enhance the measurement of education quality, in addition to strengthen education system capability.
The Department of Education (DepEd) will implement the project over a five-year period starting in 2025.
The World Bank is predicted to appraise the loan proposal on April 1, 2025 and provides its approval on May 30, 2025.
“Probably the most critical challenge facing the Philippines’ education system is on the present low learning outcomes. Around 91% of 10-year-olds within the Philippines cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text, which is a phenomenon often known as learning poverty,” the World Bank said, noting this is far higher than Indonesia (53%) and Thailand (23%).
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2022 showed Filipino students were among the many world’s weakest in math, reading and science, rating 77th out of 81 countries and performing worse than the worldwide average in all categories.
Results from the National Achievement Test also showed 85-99% of Grade 10 students don’t reach proficient levels in core subjects corresponding to math, English, Filipino, science and social studies.
“The low learning outcomes could be traced to inadequate learning conditions, as measured by teacher’s capability, classroom environment, and availability of learning materials,” the World Bank said.
It cited overcrowded classrooms, poor teacher quality and low textbook availability.
“Additional support is required to deal with the clear learning crisis that faces the Philippines’ education system nationwide,” it said.
The proposed project is aligned with DepEd’s 5-Point Agenda, which prioritizes investing in teacher quality, constructing classrooms, and raising education quality.
Under the project, the DepEd will implement revised learning recovery programs, review policies for teachers, and supply technical assistance to teachers for the implementation of the so-called Matatag curriculum.
The Matatag curriculum covers kindergarten, grades 1, 4 and seven and adds subjects to enhance reading, math and life skills. It was rolled out this school 12 months, with full implementation by the college 12 months 2026-2027.
One other subcomponent of the project includes the promotion of inclusive learning and teaching, by establishing a web-based teaching and learning hub and developing accessible resources for learners with disabilities.
The project will even support a review of national assessments of learning outcomes for grades 3 and 5 to make sure these are aligned with the Matatag curriculum and international standardized tests. It should also implement standardized computer-based reading assessments for grades K to three learners.
“It will support the event and implementation of an assessment of socioemotional skills of lower secondary education learners, in addition to the administration of PISA for Schools in a small variety of chosen public schools,” it said.
The project will even support activities to “strengthen the education system capability and promote decentralization,” corresponding to the review of regulatory frameworks, improvement of accountability and enhancement of DepEd’s service delivery capability.
The proposed project is aligned with the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for the Philippines for July 2019 to December 2023, which was prolonged by a 12 months to 2024, it said.
The Washington-based multilateral lender recently approved $1.25 billion in loans to support projects within the Philippines that aim to create a safer and more resilient school infrastructure, while also strengthening economic recovery. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
