Despite the significant gains in primary education participation
rates, learning gaps remain high among primary and secondary level students.
Increased government spending in education, as well as the implementation of
the K to 12 program are important education sector reforms that set the stage
for improved access and better education outcomes for the Filipino youth.
However, while these reforms are significant, much is still needed to be done
in improving learning outcomes for primary and secondary learners in the
Philippines.
On May 24, 2016, the
Department of Education (DepEd), Philippine Institute for Development Studies
(PIDS), and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Philippines hosted a policy
forum on "Evidence in the Education Sector" at the PIDS Conference
Room in Centris, Quezon City, to disseminate among key decision-makers how
impact evaluation and evidence can be useful in achieving improved learning
outcomes.
Around 60 participants
attended the forum from various government agencies, international
organizations, academe, and nongovernment organizations.
In his keynote speech, DepEd
Assistant Secretary Elvin Ivan Uy stressed that education should enable each
person to maximize their potential. He highlighted the need to actively promote
the use of evidence within DepEd and that the agency itself should be an active
producer of evidence. Meanwhile, NEDA Deputy Director-General Rosemarie Edillon
mentioned the pivotal role of evidence in policymaking at the national level.
She maintained that each evaluation should address present and future needs in
the education sector.
Roundtable discussions as
well as panel presentations on topics such as stakeholders in evaluation,
enabling learning, and secondary and technical-vocational education comprised
the policy forum. Dr. Gilberto Llanto, in identifying champions in impact
evaluations, with panel members Dr. Vicente Paqueo, visiting research fellow at
PIDS, and Mr. Roger Masapol, director of the DepEd Planning Service,
highlighted important issues such as the usefulness of impact evaluations in
preserving effective programs, the need for greater appreciation of evaluations
among all levels in government, and the value of having data publicly
available.
IPA Philippines Country
Director Nassreena Sampaco-Baddiri moderated the panel discussion on enabling
learning where Dr. Aniceto Orbeta, Jr., PIDS senior research fellow, and
Assistant Secretary Uy of DepEd presented some critical issues in achieving
improved education quality. Discussions were centered on the importance of
context of the education system, the possibility of having complementary
programs for better outcomes, the role of programs (and evaluation of these
programs) in learning, and the need to consider noncognitive competencies.
A panel discussion on
technical-vocational education was moderated by NEDA Deputy Director-General
Rolando Tungpalan and included presentations from Dr. Emily Beam of the
National University of Singapore and Director Catherine Galapon from Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority. Key topics include the role of
education in building skills, employment, and better quality of life, as well
as the value of testing different interventions in order to understand what
works and what doesn't work.
PIDS President Gilberto
Llanto emphasized that the use of evidence generated by rigorous evaluations
will definitely play a significant role in moving the country forward,
especially in vital sectors such as education. His closing statement, "The
unexamined policy intervention is not worth implementing," captures the
importance of evaluations in a nutshell. (PIDS)
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