President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hailed the country’s record performance in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), describing the results as a clear demonstration of what Filipino students and teachers can achieve with adequate support.
In a video statement released Tuesday, September 8, the President highlighted the nation’s strongest showing since joining the international study in 2018, pointing out that test scores rose across all evaluated subjects.
”Tumaas tayo sa lahat ng bagay, sa reading, sa mathematics, sa science. Iilan lang daw ang bansa na natamo ang ganong klaseng improvement na kagaya ng nakikita natin sa ating educational system,” Marcos said.
Citing official figures from the PISA 2025 assessment, Marcos underscored substantial gains in reading comprehension.
“The Philippines is among the few education systems improving across all domains. The Philippines is considered one of the fastest-improving education systems globally, with the strongest long-term improvement in reading among participating systems,” Marcos said, quoting the report.
The Chief Executive noted that the progress validates the dedication of learners and educators while demonstrating the impact of collaborative efforts from the government and local communities.
”Muling napapatunayan kung gaano kagagaling ang ating mga mag-aaral, na sila ay masipag at seryoso sa kanilang pag-aaral, at kung gaano kagaling magturo ang ating mga guro,” Marcos said.
”Basta’t sila ay suportado nang tama, nang hindi lamang ng gobyerno, kung hindi pati ang buong komunidad, ang mga magulang, at lahat ng ating mga kababayan na tumutulong para pagandahin ang mga kinabukasan ng ating mga anak,” he added.
Moving forward, Marcos pledged to sustain key education interventions, including building classrooms, expanding internet access, supplying digital devices, and accelerating textbook production.
”Nagsisimula pa lang tayo, ipagpapatuloy natin ito. At nakikita naman natin, kapag pinagkaisahan natin ang pagpapaganda ng buhay ng ating mga mag-aaral ay talagang ramdam na ramdam ang napakagandang resulta,” Marcos said.
”Kaya huwag po natin titigilan, hindi dito po sa ating administrasyon, hindi po natin titigilan ‘yan, mas lalo pa natin didiinan ang ating seryoso na pagtugon,” he added.
Data from PISA 2025 showed the Philippines posting average scores of 373 in science, 371 in mathematics, and 367 in reading—marking gains of 17, 16, and 20 points, respectively, over its 2022 performance.
The study also recorded an increase in the proportion of Filipino students reaching at least Level 2 proficiency, the global baseline for essential academic competency.