WITH only six out of 1,000 elementary school graduates getting passing marks to enter high school, Sen. Edgardo Angara yesterday said it is about time the government considers a massive reform in the educational system.

The senator noted that the Kaakbay sa Pag-aaral, a non-government organization, reported that only two out of every 100 fourth year high school students are fit to enter college.

Angara, former president of the University of the Philippines, said Filipino students performed poorly in Math, Science, and English as reflected in the results of the National Elementary Assessment Test, National Secondary Assessment Test and National Achievement Test in recent years.

"This means there is something basically wrong with our education system," he said, adding the low budget allocation for education is one
of the reasons for its deterioration.

Angara said education spending in the Philippines trails behind its Asian neighbors, with only 2.5 percent of the country's gross national product.
" …Existing budget will not be able to fill the shortages classrooms, desks, textbooks, and teachers. The estimated additional budget required to compensate for this shortage amounts to P23.6 billion," he said.

Angara said the forthcoming debate on the 2006 budget of the Department of Education in the Senate would provide the venue for a deeper look into the needs of the educational sector and the appropriate solution to the problem.

He said the government should address the shortage of physical facilities, particularly classrooms and textbooks. This is aggravated by the shortage of teachers and uneven distribution of teachers among schools, aside from the issue of teachers' declining competency and mastery of the subjects.