Vice President Sara Duterte sounded the alarm on the state of Philippine education, stressing that the country continues to trail behind its neighbors in modernization and student learning.
Speaking before Filipinos in Kuwait during the “Hakbang ng Maisug” event on August 15, Duterte pointed out that while children abroad are already exposed to robotics, coding, and early literacy, many Filipino students still struggle with the basics.
“What I have noticed is that in our country, it takes a long time before we are able to catch up with modernization. In other countries, they are so modern. As for us, we are still in paper and pencil,” she said. “In other countries, their children are already learning about robotics and coding. At age three and four, they already know how to read. While in our country, there are high school students who still do not know how to read.”
Duterte, who previously headed the Department of Education, stressed that much remains to be done to address the widening gap. Her remarks echoed earlier warnings from the United Nations Children’s Fund, which flagged a “real and widespread learning crisis” in the country. A 2019 study cited by UNICEF revealed that 90 percent of Grade 5 students could not read at their expected level, while 83 percent lagged in basic math.
DepEd has since promised intervention programs for Kindergarten to Grade 3 learners to strengthen literacy and numeracy skills.
Beyond education, Duterte also raised concerns about other pressing national issues. She underscored how low wages push many Filipinos to work abroad, noting that one nurse told her she would have stayed if the entry salary was raised to ₱35,000.
“That is why I have always said that [Filipinos] should leave the country because they want to leave. They should not leave because… they could not find adequate jobs. This is the most important thing that we could do for our countrymen,” Duterte said.
She likewise criticized the tedious process of availing government aid, as well as the country’s repeated lack of preparedness during typhoons, floods, and landslides. Citing the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 that killed around 6,300 people, Duterte warned that the same level of destruction could happen again if lessons remain unheeded.
