Nearly All Grade 12 Students Fail Proficiency Benchmark in National Achievement Test: PBEd

Nearly all Grade 12 students who took the 2024 National Achievement Test (NAT) failed to reach the proficiency benchmark in core competencies, according to the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), highlighting what the group described as the country's continuing learning crisis. In its 2026 State of Philippine Education Report released Monday, PBEd cited Department of Education data showing that only 0.47% of Grade 12 examinees were classified as proficient or highly proficient, while 99.53% fell below those levels. The report showed that 65.6% of examinees were classified as low emerging, 27.39% as high emerging, 6.54% as developing, 0.45% as proficient, and only 0.02% as highly proficient. PBEd said the results underscore persistent learning gaps despite education reforms introduced in recent years. "Education reform cannot simply be a program that matures five or 10 years from now. A child gets only one First Grade, only one Sixth Grade, and only one chance to graduate from high school prepared for what comes next," PBEd Chairman Ramon del Rosario Jr. said during the report's launch in Makati City. PBEd is a nonprofit, business-led education advocacy organization that works to improve the quality of education in the Philippines and better align it with the country's workforce and economic development needs. The business-led education advocacy group said the findings underscore the urgency of accelerating reforms to strengthen foundational learning and support learning recovery. GMA News Online has reached out to the Department of Education for its comment and will update this story once a response is issued. Education challenges According to PBEd, many of the country's current education challenges—including weak foundational skills, poor teacher quality, shortages of classrooms and learning materials, child malnutrition, and the mismatch between education and employment—had already been identified by the First Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM I) more than three decades ago. The group warned that poor learning outcomes extend beyond the education sector, affecting the country's workforce and long-term economic competitiveness. "We cannot be an upper-middle-income economy, compete for high-value investments, or take advantage of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies if millions of Filipinos lack the fundamental skills needed to participate in that future," Del Rosario said. While acknowledging ongoing government initiatives such as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program and curriculum reforms, PBEd said sustained implementation and policy continuity are essential to improving learning outcomes. The group urged the government, educators, local governments, and the private sector to work together to ensure education reforms are sustained beyond political administrations, saying another generation of Filipino learners cannot afford to be left behind. — MCG, GMA News