12/09/2026
๐ก๐๐ช๐ฆ | Philippines leads global reading improvement in PISA
The Philippines recorded the fastest improvement in Reading worldwide and ranked among the top-performing improvers overall based on recent cycles of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The OECD reported that the Philippines recorded an unprecedented estimated 38-point long-term improvement in Reading, the highest increase worldwide in the subject and equivalent to nearly two additional years of schooling.
The country also recorded long-term gains across all three core PISA subjects, with a 25-point increase in Mathematics and a 22-point increase in Science, placing the Philippines among rapidly improving education systems such as Cambodia, Tรผrkiye, Qatar, and Brunei Darussalam.
The Philippines was also among only eight education systems worldwide that recorded improvements across all three domains from 2022 to 2025. The other systems were Georgia, Cambodia, Jordan, Montenegro, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and Tรผrkiye.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara attributed the gains to the education policies under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the resilience of Filipino learners.
โThese numbers reflect the grit of our learners, the dedication of our teachers, and the vision of President Bongbong Marcos who made foundational literacy and learner well-being a national priority,โ Angara said.
He added that the administration's focus on foundational skills, particularly reading, comprehension, and critical thinking, was intended to strengthen the country's education system.
The Education Secretary also emphasized the importance of foundational literacy, citing the OECD's description of Reading as the โmother of all skillsโ because it enables learners to understand more complex concepts in Mathematics, Science, and other fields.
The Philippines' improvement comes after it ranked last among 79 participating education systems in Reading in the 2018 PISA cycle, when the country first participated in the assessment.
OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher said no other country demonstrated faster improvement in Reading than the Philippines. He noted that the skills and knowledge of Filipino 15-year-old students in the latest assessment were nearly two years ahead of those of Filipino students of the same age in 2018.
The Philippines recorded an average score of 367 in Reading, 371 in Mathematics, and 373 in Science in PISA 2025.
The proportion of students reaching baseline proficiency also increased across the three subjects. In Science, 32% of Filipino students reached the baseline level, a nine-percentage-point increase from 2022. Reading proficiency increased to 31%, up seven percentage points, while Mathematics increased to 21%, up five percentage points.
In Computational Problem Solving, 34% of students reached the baseline proficiency level, with 70% performing above expectations based on their Science scores, according to the report.
Overall, the Philippines surpassed 18 education systems in Reading, 16 in Mathematics, and 14 in Science, exceeding several comparable countries in the region and at similar income levels.
The assessment also showed improvements in the learning environment. Reports of physical bullying declined by 17 percentage points between 2018 and 2025, while more than 86% of students reported positive experiences with teacher support, including teachers providing additional assistance when students had difficulty understanding lessons.
Despite the gains, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it would continue addressing challenges involving socioeconomic gaps, cyberbullying, student well-being, growth mindset, and classroom facilities.
DepEd also plans to strengthen literacy initiatives, including the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, the distribution of storybooks to Kindergarten to Grade 3 learners, the establishment of Reading Nooks in schools, and the foundational literacy program Bayang Bumabasa.
While the latest PISA results mark significant progress for the country's education system, education officials emphasized that sustaining the gains will require continued efforts to strengthen foundational learning and address remaining gaps among Filipino learners.
