SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III expressed grave concerns and emphasized the urgent need to adjust the curriculum to cultivate the Filipino students’ interest in mathematics, reading and science following the country’s poor showing in the Programme for International Student Assessment 2022.

Pimentel stressed the need to urgently adjust the curriculum to help develop an interest in mathematics and science as well as instill a scientific way of thinking among the Filipino students.

“Our curriculum must evolve to meet the demands of the 21st century and address the root cause of this lackluster performance in the PISA assessment,” Pimentel said.

“The Department of Education should realize the generational impact of these dismal results if not addressed immediately,” he added.

According to the 2022 PISA study, which was published on Tuesday and involved 690,000 students from 81 countries, the Philippines’ performance in the three subjects remained relatively unchanged compared to 2018 when it first participated in the assessment.

In the 2018 PISA study, the Philippines scored the lowest in reading and second lowest in math and science among the 79 participating nations.

In the latest 2022 assessment, the Philippines ranked sixth from the bottom in reading and mathematics, and it was positioned third from the bottom in science among the 81 participating countries.

“It is very alarming to see that the Philippines has shown no improvement in the PISA rankings and remains at the bottom in mathematics, reading, and science,” Pimentel, a mathematician, added.

Pimentel said the poor results highlight the shortcomings of the educational system and underscores the urgent need for comprehensive educational reforms.

“If we do not take immediate and resolute action, it will cast doubt upon the future competitiveness of our future generation,” stressed Pimentel. “It will affect the employability of our people,” he added.