THE WORLD Bank has apologized to the Department of Education for the release of its report that indicated the low proficiency of Filipino students.

“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,” the World Bank said in a statement.

“This was an oversight on our part, and we conveyed our personal apologies in our communication with the government,” it added.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier demanded a public apology from the World Bank for releasing an “outdated” and “insulting” report.

Briones said that the Bank did not follow protocol when it released the report, as it had not informed DepEd beforehand that it would do so.

The World Bank has removed the report from its website.

It acknowledged DepEd’s efforts and programs to attain education quality in the country.

“We agree with the Department that the issue of quality has a long historical context, and support its demonstrated commitment to resolve it decisively,” it said.

“We have reached out to Secretary Briones on this matter and look forward to continuing our dialogue with the Department of Education on the opportunities and challenges in the education sector,” it added.