When Students Fail to Learn: Getting Education Governance and Finance Policies Right

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Written for the Second Congressional Commission on Education and based on existing research, this Policy Note emphasizes the critical need for efficient and inclusive reforms in the Philippine education sector to prevent its decline. It recommends a shift in focus from the massification of low-quality education toward prioritizing the enhancement of cognitive and noncognitive competencies. To achieve this, the government is urged to increase its investment in education and training to match the achievements of its aspirational peers. It also encourages the government to optimize the use of available resources to enable students to enroll in schools of their choice that meet quality standards, enhance outreach programs to support parents in developing their children's socioemotional competencies and growth mindset, and improve accountability and motivation among education providers to deliver cost-effective, high-quality education and training.