The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has congratulated the Department of Education (DepEd), under Secretary Sonny Angara, on the country’s marked improvement in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The latest results show the Philippines scoring 16 to 20 points higher across reading, mathematics, and science, with a 20-point rise in reading—an improvement equivalent to roughly one full year of formal schooling according to OECD standards. Notably, the country has also moved out of the bottom ten among participating education systems and recorded its best-ever progress in reading performance.
PCCI president Perry Ferrer said that these results prove focused reforms, sustained commitment, and evidence-based interventions can truly raise learning outcomes for Filipino students. The chamber attributes the gains to DepEd’s key measures such as curriculum enhancements, targeted remediation programs, and the work of the PISA 2025 Task Force. Beyond the assessment results, PCCI urged DepEd to complement PISA data with other indicators that track whether learners are building the full range of abilities needed for lifelong learning, employment, and active citizenship.
These assessment outcomes carry direct weight for education policy planning. The chamber emphasized that the positive trends reinforce the urgency of advancing critical reforms and fully implementing recommendations from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II). Ferrer noted that EDCOM II provides a clear, long-term roadmap to address persistent sector challenges, and these findings must now move from policy proposals to concrete action.
Equally important to both current and future learners is better coordination across the country’s trifocalized education system. PCCI highlighted that while basic education serves as the foundation, it must be more effectively aligned with technical-vocational and higher education streams. This broader alignment is seen as essential to building a more productive, fair, and high-quality education system that prepares students to thrive at every level.
As the voice of the Philippine business sector, PCCI reiterated its stand that strengthening basic education must go hand-in-hand with smoother integration across the entire education continuum—an idea detailed in its policy paper “Reform Our Education, Transform our Future.” The group reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with DepEd and other stakeholders to turn these assessment successes into lasting reforms, ensuring Filipino learners develop the skills needed for personal growth and meaningful contribution to national development.
