The Department of Education (DepEd) completed the country’s participation in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on Friday, after a series of preparations since last year.
In a statement, the agency said the result of the newly concluded PISA will serve as a “benchmark” for future programs in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives to ensure that learners would grow to be “critical thinkers and problem solvers.”
“With the country’s PISA participation completed as of April 11, 2025, the Department of Education welcomes the results in September 2026,” it said.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara previously assured that teachers and learners are more prepared, contrary to what happened in the 2022 PISA.
“We prepared new types of exam questions, we prepared for critical thinking. Iyong mga hindi lang math o science, pinagsama-sama natin ang mga (It’s not just math or science, we have combined the) questions,” he said on the sidelines of the April 8 ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the department and the Special Olympics Pilipinas for the advancement of inclusive special sports in DepEd schools.
During the 2022 PISA, the Philippines landed in the bottom 10 out of 81 participating countries in areas of reading comprehension, mathematics, and science; and second to the last in creative thinking.
Angara likewise said learners were trained to use computers ahead of the actual PISA.
“Tinuruan natin iyong mga bata na gumamit ng laptops dahil in 2022, first time nila gumamit ng computer, nataranta sila. Hindi nila natapos iyong (We taught kids to use laptops because last 2022, it was their first time using computers, they were rattled. They didn’t finish the) exam,” he said.
He, however, refrained from retaliating against the critics of the 2025 PISA preparations.
The DepEd said it has started its “systematic preparation” since October 2024.
For participating learners, the agency has provided familiarization sessions that cover examinations on computer literacy, quantitative skills, and critical thinking.
Other preparations include proper mapping out of the 2025 PISA demographic; the creation of an internal school audit system and setting of Executive Committee members as regional focal persons for the assessment of preparedness of schools, teachers, academics, and the community; and the granting of maintenance and augmentation funds to address logistics gaps, particularly in testing centers, laptops, and internet access, among others. (PNA)
