SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian expects an honest to goodness assessment of the state of the education sector and concrete steps forward to address problems once the Department of Education releases its basic education report at the end of the month.

The DepEd is scheduled to present the Basic Education Report or BER 2023 on January 30, which will give an overview of the state of basic education in the country.

DepEd officials will also present updates on the review of the K to 12 curriculum.

Gatchalian said that an honest to goodness assessment is needed considering the challenges besetting the education sector, many of which were exacerbated by the Covid19 pandemic and the prolonged lack of face-to-face classes.

“Upang matugunan natin ang krisis sa sektor ng edukasyon, kailangang kilalanin natin kung gaano kabigat ang mga hamong ating kinakaharap. Patuloy din nating isusulong ang mga kinakailangang reporma upang maiangat ang kalidad ng edukasyon sa bansa at matugunan ang pinsalang dulot ng pandemya,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education said.

He also pointed to the role of the Second Congressional Commission on Education or EdCom II in tackling the country’s education crisis and proposing needed reforms.

The EdCom II, where Gatchalian serves as co-chairperson, is mandated to review the education sector’s performance and recommend reforms to boost Filipinos’ competitiveness.

The Commission is set to start its national assessment this month.

Before the Covid19 pandemic struck, international assessments showed that Filipino learners are struggling to master basic competencies.

The World Bank’s simulation analysis of learning losses estimated that learning adjusted years of schooling will decrease from 7.5 years to around six years.

This means that 12 years of basic education will be equivalent to only six years of effective schooling.

The World Bank also estimates that learning poverty in the Philippines is now at 90.9%.