World Bank sorry, says report on Philippine education released too soon
MANILA, Philippines — The World Bank has apologized over a report on the Philippine education system that it said was released before the Department of Education "had enough chance to provide inputs."
The report, which has been removed from the World Bank website, said that more than 80% of students in the Philippines do not meet the standards expected for their grade level. It also described a crisis in Philippine education "which started pre-COVID but will have been made worse" by the pandemic.
Education Secretary Leonor Briones bristled at the report, saying Monday that it was based on old data and that DepEd was not given the chance to respond to the findings.
"The country was insulted [and] shamed," she said at a press briefing.
The World Bank, in a statement on Thursday, said the report was published ahead of schedule.
"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," it also said.
It said that the issue of quality of education "has a long historical context" and that it supports the education department's "demonstrated commitment to resolve it decisively."
It said that it has reached out to Briones and is looking forward to continuing the dialogue with DepEd on improving the quality of education in the Philippines. — Jonathan de Santos
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