World Bank Takes Down Education Report After DepEd Demands Apology

• World Bank has taken down an education report that ruffled feathers over at the the Department of Education (DepEd).

  Last week, major news outlets quoted a report by the international organization that said, “80% of PH kids don’t know what they should know.” The World Bank report was based on three international assessments: Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), and the SoutheastAsia Primary Learning metrics (SEA-PLM).

  You may read our reports on Pisa here and here. Read abut SEA-PLM here. 

  However, Briones said World Bank used “old data” in the report, and the new initiatives on education reform were not included.

  She demanded an apology because “giving a snapshot of the current situation without its historical context can easily give the impression that it is the present administration that is to blame, and not mentioning current initiatives can further give the impression that we are not doing anything about it.”

  Briones also pointed DepEd “has initiated reforms strongly supported and financed by the government, local partners, country partners and multilaterals.”

  She added, “A loan agreement for a major program to address teacher upskilling (Teacher Effectiveness and Competencies Enhancement Project or TEACEP) is being negotiated with the World Bank itself. These developments are not mentioned at all in the report.”

  In the statement, Briones pointed out two errors World Bank committed. “The World Bank admits to one error: the release of old data based on 2019 PISA scores to the public without informing DepEd. Thus, DepEd and the Philippine government were subjected to public censure and criticism. Even if done inadvertently, the World Bank has inflicted harm on DepEd and the government.

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  “The second and more important error which the World Bank inflicted on DepEd was its omission of the initiatives which are being undertaken even before the PISA results came out, and are being refined further based on analysis of the results of PISA and the other international assessments.

  “These initiatives involve not only the government but concerned members of the national and international community as well, including the World Bank. Aside from the involvement of national government agencies other than DepEd, such as the Department of Finance, local, national and bilateral partners are also pitching in.”

  You can read Briones’ full statement to the World Bank report here.

  Meanwhile, in response, World Bank had the following statement on its website:

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

  “Recognizing the inadvertent release of the report, we have taken steps to temporarily remove it from the website. We are aware of the Department’s various efforts and programs to address the challenge of education quality. We agree with the Department that the issue of quality has a long historical context, and support its demonstrated commitment to resolve it decisively.

  “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.”

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World Bank Takes Down Education Report After DepEd Demands Apology
Source: Progress Pinas