The roundtable discussion on the second Millennium Development Goal—Achieve Universal Primary Education was held at Traders Hotel, Pasay City, on January 26, 2010. The RTD convened by the Social Sciences Division of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Philippines, was attended by 25 participants. The RTD was held to address the question “How can we avert the decline in the performance of EFA indicators of education outcomes and sustain improvements in those that registered recovery?” To answer this question the following objectives were discussed: (1) to identify the key determinants of selected major education outcomes, (2) to examine concomitant or related education policies and strategies, and (3) to determine the project intervention for purposes of recommending reforms or possible reorientation.

Dr. Michael Alba, associate professor of De La Salle University discussed the data issues and strategies concerning the second Millennium Development Goal. He also presented the indicators of MDG #2, and the following issues on the accuracy and comprehensiveness of data from the Basic Education Information System (BEIS). Dr. Alba tackled the following concerns regarding the accuracy of BEIS data: (1) the indirect evidence of gross inaccuracies in the data points, (2) the poor administrative control over ARMM and private schools, because of the former’s autonomous status and the latter’s de facto political power, and (3) inability to track individual students resulting in imprecision in the measurement of the elementary cohort survival rate and the elementary completion rate. He also made recommendations on the policies and programs of DepEd on the data gathering through BEIS.

On the topic of averting the decline of the MDG #2 indicators, Dr. Dalisay Maligalig, senior statistician of the Asian Development Bank, presented administrative data from the BEIS and the Annual Poverty Indicator Survey (APIS). Dr. Maligalig’s report showed that the Philippines’ education trends are not promising. Moreover, there were studies that showed the average of pupil to teacher ratio at the national level is 33.64 for primary schools and 39.36 for secondary schools both of which are considerably lower than 50 which is the target of the Philippine EFA plan.   She discussed that the best performers in selected primary schools are Bataan, Davao del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Mt. Province. The results of this study have primary implications on the deployment of teachers and effective class size, decentralization, equitable access to primary education, working children, gender disparity, and age of official entry to primary school.

In general, the RTD recommended: (1) improving the data gathering system; (2) seeking support from Local Government Units (LGUs), legislators, and the private sector; (3) holding regular conferences or consultations to discuss problems, solutions proposed, and best practices disseminated.
 
The Roundtable Discussion on Millennium Development Goal #2: Achieve universal primary education was organized by the National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines. The focal person for this RTD was Academician Allan Benedict I. Bernardo.