THE DEPARTMENT of Education has acknowledged the apology of the World Bank for releasing its report on education.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones demanded an apology from the Bank, saying the report was based on old data.

The World Bank admitted that it prematurely came out with the report titled “Improving student learning outcomes and well-being in the Philippines: What are international assessments telling us?”

The report said that the proficiency of Filipino students was below their grade levels.

“More than admitting to their oversight, we hope the WB statement has clearly reiterated the commitment of and concrete steps being taken by the Department, together with our partners, to resolve century-old issues plaguing the Philippine education system,” the DepEd said.

The World Bank has taken down the report from its site.

“We deeply regret that the report on education was inadvertently published earlier than scheduled and before the Department of Education had enough chance to provide inputs,” it said.