MALACAÑANG on Thursday admitted that the World Bank report that around 80 percent of Filipino students have poor proficiency for their grade levels is disturbing and alarming.

“I’m sure Secretary Leonor Briones and her team at the Department of Education will sit down and study, as well as discuss ways forward upon receiving this World Bank report,” Palace Spokesman Harry Roque said.

“‘Wag po kayong mag-alala, pag-aaralan po mabuti natin kung ano ‘yung sinasabi ng report at titingnan po natin kung paano natin mababago ang ating curriculum lalo na sa panahon ng pandemya,” he added.

The World Bank said that the country ranked last in reading and second to the last in science and mathematics among 79 countries that participated in the Program for International Student Assessment.

The report stated that one in every four Grade 5 students does not have the proficiency in Math and reading for second and third graders.

It added that four in every five 15-year-old students do not know basic mathematical concepts like fractions and decimals that should have been mastered by fifth graders.

Also, only 10 to 22 percent of Grades 4, 5, and 9 learners scored “at or above minimum proficiency.”

Roque said that DepEd has been continuously innovating the educational approaches even though face-to-face classes are still not allowed.

“We are on blended learning. We utilize module, we utilize TV, radio, as well as computer-aided forms of educational materials. But I’m sure that the process adapting to the new normal continues and the DepEd will continue to introduce innovations,” he said.

The World Bank said that the country’s learning crisis worsened because of the pandemic.

“With school closures for several months and a partial opening in subsequent months, students’ learning opportunities are likely to decline, and disparities between students likely to increase,” it said.

“The damage will become even more severe as the deep global recession following the Covid19 pandemic leads to an economic crisis, which will cause hardships among many disadvantaged families, and lead to children dropping out of school,” it added.