Introduction:

The competitiveness of the Philippines has slid down from 47 in 2001 to 77 in 2007 out of 117 countries that were evaluated. This can be attributed to problems in the country's basic education sector, which critics have described as being in an alarming state.   Performance indicators have show worsening competencies in math and science manifested by the poor performance of Filipino students in international assessment tests. 

Our Assessment

Students and Enrollment

1. In the basic level, there is a decreasing trend of enrollees towards science-oriented education despite the establishment of science high schools. 
2. In the tertiary level, less than half of the enrollees in the country are in science & technology (ST) related courses, with the number of graduates remaining at the minimum. 

Teachers

3. The number of teachers who specialize in math and science are lowest, with science ranking 5^th and math ranking 6^th out of 6 category choices for specialization
4. Many math and science teachers in public high schools are not even math and science majors – this could be a main reason why we rank low in international tests at this level.  There are more teachers with baccalaureate degrees in education than in math and science.
5. Of those who do have math and science degrees, many do not pursue masteral education in these fields but opt to master in non-science and math fields.
6. In terms of experience, the bulk of teachers now employed have only been teaching for 5-10 years.  The national average number of teaching years is only eleven years. The trend is that they leave the academe for other more financially rewarding fields.
7. Public schools absorb 4 out of 5 Science and Math teachers.  This reflects on the lack of quality skills training in our teachers, as private schools have more stringent and selective hiring procedures.
8. In the post-graduate level, only around 9 out of 100 (8.6% 49,420) science and mathematics teachers hold a masters degree, while only 2 of every 100 (1.5% 49,420) teachers pursue doctoral studies.

Ranking Assessment

9. Performance in assessment tests (this indicates the competitiveness of our Educational System) –
1. In regional tests, the national mean is 358 out of 450 points.
2. National assessments (high school) – scores in math and science never go below 30 in a 60 point examination.
3. Trends in Math and Science Study (TIMSS) – 
1. Elementary level – the Philippines rose from 41^st to 23^rd (out of 42 countries) in Math and 40^th to 23^rd in Science from 1995 to 2003. 
2. High school level – we rank 41^st in Math and 42^nd (out of 42) in Science.
10. Compared to other countries, a sample Philippine high school class ranks 11 out of 14 countries. 

Research and Development

11. From the college graduates of SME, research and development personnel has increased from 4,093 to 5,211 from 2003-2005.  This growth is good but still lacking since R&D spurs knowledge and innovation.
12. The percentage of GDP spent for R&D has decreased from an already small 0.15% in 2002 to 0.12% in 2005.
13. In terms of industry training, the The DOST-SEI, DepEd and CHED started in 1998 the Rescue Initiatives for Science education (RISE) program.  This is actually a non-degree training (180 hours) on the content knowledge in sciences and mathematics.  The program is actually for public school teachers who are not math or science majors. As of 2004, there are around 15,792 trained.

The Job Markets

14. Employment for ST graduates locally is low because ST education here in board-exam driven, and not industry-driven.  Many companies (potential employers) claim that Filipino ST graduates lack technical skills required by industry standards.
15. Employment of ST graduates in the international level is increasing, but this because Nursing is included in the ST category.
16. However, it must be noted that over 60% of Filipino emigrants go to non-ST markets.