The Philippine education system has been facing challenges about access to, as well as quality and relevance of services provided by public and nonpublic institutions and managed by different agencies over the past recent years. The country has a large education system comprising more than 60,000 public and nonpublic schools, around 2,400 public and nonpublic higher education institutions, and 25,000 community learning centers (that offer second-chance programs known as the Alternative Learning System - ALS). It enrolled over 23.5 million learners from kindergarten to grade 10 alone in 2023.

The governance of the Philippine education system is characterized by split roles and responsibilities exercised by four different agencies. The Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council is the primary agency responsible for preparing policies on health, nutrition, social protection and early education for children ages 0 to 4. The Department of Education (DepEd) is responsible for governing and managing preschool (kindergarten; for 5-year-old children), elementary/primary (grades 1 to 6) and secondary (grades 7 to 12; includes high schools that offer technical and vocational education) education, as well as the ALS. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is responsible for technical and vocational education. Higher/tertiary education is under the responsibility of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Overall, access to preschool and basic education has increased due to regulations establishing the mentioned 13 years of compulsory education over the past 10 years. In 2012, the Kindergarten Education Act (Republic Act No 10157) incorporated kindergarten into the education system and one-year kindergarten became a pre-requisite for admission to grade 1, which has been enforced since the school year 2014-2015. Subsequently, the 2013 Enhanced Basic Education Act (Republican Act No 10533) added two years of compulsory senior high school at the end of the basic education cycle. This compulsory education stream is implemented in public and private schools across the country, under the purview of DepEd. The Philippines’s 13-year compulsory education system began full implementation in 2016. The net enrollment rate (NER) for (a) kindergarten increased from 26.0 percent to 63.4 percent between 2006 and 2019, (b) elementary education increased from 91.0 percent to 94 percent between 2002 and 2019, and (c) junior secondary education increased from 59.9 percent to 82.9 percent between 2009 and 2019. To support the expansion of kindergarten and senior high school education services, the government increased the number of teachers by 41 percent between 2009 and 2017, outpacing the growth in student enrollment. As a result, the students to teacher ratio dropped from 39:1 to 31:1 for the elementary level, and from 38:1 to 26:1 for the secondary level between 2011 and 2017. Moreover, school infrastructure shortages are being addressed at a slow pace, which has been resulting in a reduction in the number of schools operating multiple shifts.

Despite increased access to education, the Philippines faces a severe learning crisis, which is the current most pressing issue observed in basic education. Immediate action from DepEd including through evidence-based policymaking is necessary to prevent negative impacts on human capital development and growth. Ninety-one percent of 10-year-old Filipinos cannot read and understand age-appropriate text, a phenomenon known as learning poverty, which is significantly higher than in Indonesia (53 percent) and Thailand (23 percent). Only 10 percent of Grade 5 learners met the minimum proficiency in reading, and 17 percent did so in mathematics on the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) in 2019. The National Achievement Test (NAT) results show that 85 to 99 percent of Grade 10 students do not reach proficient levels in core subjects on average. Similarly, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show over 75 percent of 15-year-old Filipinos scored below the minimum proficiency in mathematics, reading, and science.

In this challenging context, DepEd has focused on education quality improvement reforms outlined in its plans and strategies. The Basic Education Development Plan (BEDP) 2030 aims to enhance education quality by strengthening teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge and skills. In 2024, DepEd launched the 5-Point Reform Agenda (5PT Agenda), which focuses on five key reform areas to boost education quality: (a) investing in teacher quality and equipping educators with resources; (b) building classrooms and safe, inclusive learning environments; (c) enabling efficiency through evidence-based policymaking and digital processes; (d) raising education quality through upgraded curriculum, modernized assessment, and digitally enabled schools; and (e) preparing graduates for employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education. DepEd is currently preparing the Quality Basic Education Development Plan (Q-BEDP) for 2025-2035 by building on both the BEDP 2030 and the 5PT Agenda. The Q-BEDP is being developed based on reliable existing evidence and will provide milestones and indicators for the implementation of key education programs.

The GoP is committed to address the issues about access to, as well as quality and relevance of education including through the formulation of new, or amendment of existing laws. In July 2022, the Republic Act 11899 passed into law creating the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM2), which has the mandate of carrying out a comprehensive national assessment of the Philippine education sector’s performance in 2023 – 2025. This assessment is expected to recommend transformative, concrete and targeted education reforms with the aim of making the Philippines globally competitive in both education and labor markets. The EDCOM2 follows in the footsteps of the First Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM1), which was established by the Eighth Philippine Congress in June 1990.

Within this context, the World Bank is supporting the enhancement of the capacity of DepEd through a Global Partnership for Education System Capacity Grant. This grant finances the assignment in reference.

SELECTION OF CONSULTING FIRMS BY THE WORLD BANK GROUP

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)

Electronic Submissions through WBGeProcure RFx Now

ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW

Assignment Title: Philippines GPE-SCG for the Mobilization and Implementation of DepEd's Delivery Unit

Assignment Countries:

• Philippines

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

The Philippine education system has been facing challenges about access to, as well as quality and relevance of services provided by public and nonpublic institutions and managed by different agencies over the past recent years. The country has a large education system comprising more than 60,000 public and nonpublic schools, around 2,400 public and nonpublic higher education institutions, and 25,000 community learning centers (that offer second-chance programs known as the Alternative Learning System - ALS). It enrolled over 23.5 million learners from kindergarten to grade 10 alone in 2023.

The governance of the Philippine education system is characterized by split roles and responsibilities exercised by four different agencies. The Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council is the primary agency responsible for preparing policies on health, nutrition, social protection and early education for children ages 0 to 4. The Department of Education (DepEd) is responsible for governing and managing preschool (kindergarten; for 5-year-old children), elementary/primary (grades 1 to 6) and secondary (grades 7 to 12; includes high schools that offer technical and vocational education) education, as well as the ALS. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is responsible for technical and vocational education. Higher/tertiary education is under the responsibility of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Overall, access to preschool and basic education has increased due to regulations establishing the mentioned 13 years of compulsory education over the past 10 years. In 2012, the Kindergarten Education Act (Republic Act No 10157) incorporated kindergarten into the education system and one-year kindergarten became a pre-requisite for admission to grade 1, which has been enforced since the school year 2014-2015. Subsequently, the 2013 Enhanced Basic Education Act (Republican Act No 10533) added two years of compulsory senior high school at the end of the basic education cycle. This compulsory education stream is implemented in public and private schools across the country, under the purview of DepEd. The Philippines’s 13-year compulsory education system began full implementation in 2016. The net enrollment rate (NER) for (a) kindergarten increased from 26.0 percent to 63.4 percent between 2006 and 2019, (b) elementary education increased from 91.0 percent to 94 percent between 2002 and 2019, and (c) junior secondary education increased from 59.9 percent to 82.9 percent between 2009 and 2019. To support the expansion of kindergarten and senior high school education services, the government increased the number of teachers by 41 percent between 2009 and 2017, outpacing the growth in student enrollment. As a result, the students to teacher ratio dropped from 39:1 to 31:1 for the elementary level, and from 38:1 to 26:1 for the secondary level between 2011 and 2017. Moreover, school infrastructure shortages are being addressed at a slow pace, which has been resulting in a reduction in the number of schools operating multiple shifts.

Despite increased access to education, the Philippines faces a severe learning crisis, which is the current most pressing issue observed in basic education. Immediate action from DepEd including through evidence-based policymaking is necessary to prevent negative impacts on human capital development and growth. Ninety-one percent of 10-year-old Filipinos cannot read and understand age-appropriate text, a phenomenon known as learning poverty, which is significantly higher than in Indonesia (53 percent) and Thailand (23 percent). Only 10 percent of Grade 5 learners met the minimum proficiency in reading, and 17 percent did so in mathematics on the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) in 2019. The National Achievement Test (NAT) results show that 85 to 99 percent of Grade 10 students do not reach proficient levels in core subjects on average. Similarly, the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results show over 75 percent of 15-year-old Filipinos scored below the minimum proficiency in mathematics, reading, and science.

In this challenging context, DepEd has focused on education quality improvement reforms outlined in its plans and strategies. The Basic Education Development Plan (BEDP) 2030 aims to enhance education quality by strengthening teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge and skills. In 2024, DepEd launched the 5-Point Reform Agenda (5PT Agenda), which focuses on five key reform areas to boost education quality: (a) investing in teacher quality and equipping educators with resources; (b) building classrooms and safe, inclusive learning environments; (c) enabling efficiency through evidence-based policymaking and digital processes; (d) raising education quality through upgraded curriculum, modernized assessment, and digitally enabled schools; and (e) preparing graduates for employment, entrepreneurship, or higher education. DepEd is currently preparing the Quality Basic Education Development Plan (Q-BEDP) for 2025-2035 by building on both the BEDP 2030 and the 5PT Agenda. The Q-BEDP is being developed based on reliable existing evidence and will provide milestones and indicators for the implementation of key education programs.

The GoP is committed to address the issues about access to, as well as quality and relevance of education including through the formulation of new, or amendment of existing laws. In July 2022, the Republic Act 11899 passed into law creating the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM2), which has the mandate of carrying out a comprehensive national assessment of the Philippine education sector’s performance in 2023 – 2025. This assessment is expected to recommend transformative, concrete and targeted education reforms with the aim of making the Philippines globally competitive in both education and labor markets. The EDCOM2 follows in the footsteps of the First Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM1), which was established by the Eighth Philippine Congress in June 1990.

Within this context, the World Bank is supporting the enhancement of the capacity of DepEd through a Global Partnership for Education System Capacity Grant. This grant finances the assignment in reference.

Please see Terms of Reference for details on the scope of work, deliverables and qualifications.

FUNDING SOURCE

The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment / services described below under the following:

• TF0C7421: EFASE

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The World Bank Group invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Firms may associate to enhance their qualifications unless otherwise stated in the solicitation documents. Where a group of firms associate to submit an EOI, they must indicate which is the lead firm. If shortlisted, the firm identified in the EOI as the lead firm will be invited to the request for proposal (RFP) phase.

Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through WBGeProcure RFx Now

NOTES

Following this invitation for EOI, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding.

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