Why early learning is failing in the Philippines is becoming a serious national issue. Recent government data shows that many Filipino students struggle with basic skills in reading, writing, and math — and the problem begins as early as Grade 3. This article explains the reasons behind this failure and why it matters for the future of Filipino students.

Filipino Pupils’ Skills Are Dropping Fast

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) has confirmed that Filipino pupils’ skills continue to decline as they move through the school system. Based on test results from 2023 to 2025, more than 70% of Grade 3 students struggle with foundational skills like:

• Recognizing letters and sounds
• Reading short stories
• Solving basic math problems

This means many students start school already behind — and they don’t catch up.

Student Proficiency Falls Sharply in Higher Grades

The issue doesn’t stay in the early grades. It gets worse as students move up:

• Grade 3: Only 30.52% are proficient or highly proficient.
• Grade 6: This drops to just 19.56%.
• Grade 10: Only 1.36% reach proficiency.
• Grade 12: A shocking 0.4% are considered proficient.

These figures mean that by the time students are about to finish high school, only 4 out of every 1,000 can solve problems, analyze data, or clearly explain ideas.

The Cause: Weak Foundations in Early Education

Experts say the reason why early learning is failing is that children do not gain strong literacy and numeracy skills in their first years of school. If they don’t learn to read well early, they cannot understand lessons in science, math, or history later on.

By the end of Grade 3, nearly half of students are not reading at grade level. This learning gap grows bigger each year, turning into a 5.5-year gap by the time a child turns 15.

What the Education System Is Doing Wrong

Several issues in the system are making things worse:

1. Low Expectations and Weak Assessments

The Department of Education (DepEd) measures student performance using categories like:

• Proficient/Highly Proficient: 75% and up
• Nearly Proficient: 50–74%
• Not Proficient: Below 50%

But many students don’t even reach 50%. A study found that if the DepEd used stricter standards, even more students would fall below the “proficient” line.

2. Teaching by Rote (Memocracy)

Another reason why early learning is failing is what experts call “memocracy” — where teachers focus on memorization instead of real learning. This approach blocks new teaching methods that could help students understand subjects better.

Why It Matters for Filipino Students

This learning crisis isn’t just about test scores. It affects students’ lives and futures:

• They can’t follow lessons in later grades.
• They lose confidence in learning.
• They miss job opportunities after graduation.

In the long run, this hurts the economy, too. Employers need workers who can read instructions, solve problems, and work with information. If students don’t learn these skills in school, they struggle in the real world.

What Needs to Change

Fixing the problem starts with the early grades. Here’s what experts suggest:

• Focus on reading and math in Grades 1 to 3
• Train teachers to use modern methods that go beyond memorization
• Give support to struggling students early on
• Use better assessments to track real learning, not just test scores
• Build schools where learning—not just passing—is the goal

Conclusion

Why early learning is failing Filipino students is no longer a mystery — it starts with weak foundations, poor teaching methods, and low expectations. As a result, pupils fall further behind each year. Unless the system changes, many Filipino children will leave school without the skills they need to succeed in life.

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