A recent cycles of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed that the Philippines has emerged as the world’s fastest-improving nation in Reading performance and among the top improvers overall.
The Philippines, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), registered an unprecedented estimated 10-year growth of 38 points in Reading—the highest globally in the domain, equivalent to two additional years of schooling.
The country also posted continuous long-term gains across all subjects, adding 25 points in Mathematics and 22 in Science, joining fast-improving systems like Cambodia, Türkiye, Qatar, and Brunei Darussalam.
The Philippines was also one of only eight systems worldwide to improve across all three domains between 2022 and 2025, alongside Georgia, Cambodia, Jordan, Montenegro, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and Türkiye.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara attributed the milestone to the foundational policies of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the resilience of Filipino learners.
"These numbers reflect the grit of our learners, the dedication of our teachers, and the vision of President Bongbong Marcos who made foundational literacy and learner well-being a national priority," Angara said. ''When President Marcos instructed us to focus on the basics, ensuring our children can read, comprehend, and critically think, it was a call to rebuild our education foundation brick by brick."
"While we celebrate being named the global top improver in Reading, we view this not as a finish line, but as validation that our direction is working. We still have a long way to go, but our learners have proven that given the right support, they can leap forward," Angara added.
Angara noted that the OECD describes Reading as the “mother of all skills,” calling foundational literacy essential for mastering complex topics in Mathematics, Science, and other fields.
After ranking last among 79 countries in Reading during the 2018 PISA cycle, the Philippines rebounded to lead global performance growth. OECD Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher emphasized that no country improved Reading skills faster than the Philippines, noting that a 15-year-old today is advanced by nearly two years' worth of learning compared to peers when the country first joined PISA in 2018.
To sustain this trajectory, the Department of Education (DepEd) is intensifying key literacy programs, including the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, the distribution of storybooks for Kindergarten to Grade 3 pupils, establishment of Reading Nooks in schools, and the Bayang Bumabasa foundational literacy program.
The PISA 2025 national averages reached 373 in Science, 371 in Mathematics, and 367 in Reading. Learners reaching baseline proficiency rose to 32 percent in Science, a 9-percentage-point increase from 2022, 31percent in Reading up by 7 percentage points, and 21 percent in Mathematics up by 5 percentage points.
In Computational Problem Solving, 34 percent reached baseline proficiency, with 70 percent outperforming expectations based on their Science scores, matching some top global systems.
Overall, the Philippines outperformed 18 education systems in Reading, 16 in Mathematics, and 14 in Science, surpassing several regional and income-tier peers.
Learning environments also improved. Physical bullying reports dropped 17 percentage points from 2018 to 2025. Additionally, over 86 percent of learners praised teacher support, noting educators consistently offer extra help until concepts are understood. NEIL ALCOBER
