Surprisingly, the pandemic did not worsen student performance, according to data cited by Dr. Karol Mark Yee, executive director of the Education Commission II, a government body that recommends legislation. “But we’re still at the bottom” among many countries, Yee is quick to add.
After years of research on learning poverty, Yee says the government’s priorities should be nutrition and education in early childhood. He also recommends unburdening teachers of an array of non-teaching responsibilities so they can focus on teaching. He cites recent improvements by the Department of Education, overlooked amid all the political distractions under former DEPED Secretary, Vice President Sara Duterte. Yee also talks about his own failures as a student before his personal journey to his PhD from the University of Cambridge in the UK, one of the world’s leading universities.
