After students’ gains in PISA, what’s next?

The Philippines gained significant inroads in the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), giving the country’s education a reason to be optimistic.

The PISA results show Filipino 15-year-olds making significant gains in reading, mathematics and science. Reading rose 20 points from 2022 to 367, Mathematics increased 16 points to 371, and Science climbed 17 points to 373. Citing the report of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which administered the assessment, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines recorded the strongest reading improvement among participating countries and economies with comparable data, while gains were also recorded in Mathematics and Science.

These are encouraging numbers, but should not be an excuse for complacency. While the improvement is inspiring, the country has a long way to go before catching up with the top-tier countries.

Now, what does the government, in particular the Department of Education, do next to turn this improvement into a sustained educational transformation?

An Associated Press report on the latest PISA findings showing a declining family engagement in children’s education in many countries highlighted a global trend that is a cause for concern. Students who reported that a family member asks them at least weekly what they did in school scored about 35 points higher in PISA Science than those receiving less family interest, even after socioeconomic differences were considered.

That finding should not be taken for granted. Parents play a key role in the education and the overall growth of their children, whose education should not be left entirely to schools.

A child needs more than assistance while doing their homework. Children would want to hear something that shows their parents care for them. Perhaps, asking: How was school today? What did you learn? What was difficult? What are you curious about? Those simple conversations show children’s education matters for their parents.

The government and the Department of Education should therefore make family engagement a more deliberate part of education policy. Parent orientations should go beyond report cards and school rules. Schools can provide practical guidance on reading with children, discussing lessons, establishing study routines, managing screen time, and recognizing when a learner needs emotional or academic support.

This is particularly important as technology reshapes childhood. PISA findings show that digital devices can become distractions, while purposeful technology use can support learning. The challenge is not simply to put more gadgets in children’s hands, but to teach them when technology helps—and when it steals attention.

Artificial intelligence makes that responsibility even greater. AI can explain, translate, and assist, but it can also allow students to bypass the very struggle through which understanding is built. The OECD’s latest findings emphasize that technology and AI should strengthen learning, not substitute for attention, effort, comprehension, and cognitive ability.

The country should build on what worked in PISA 2025: stronger teaching; targeted support; better reading habits; improved learning in mathematics and science; and meaningful partnerships between schools and families.

But less we forget, there is still a lot of catching up. Despite the gains, only 31 percent of Filipino students reached at least Level 2 in reading, compared with 69 percent across the OECD. In mathematics and science, the country likewise remains well below OECD averages.

So, teachers must keep teaching. The government must keep investing. Schools must keep improving. And parents must keep on showing up for their children.