1

List of Figures

Figure 1: Total number of enrollees and graduates in teacher education programs:

Philippines, AY 2010-11 and 2019-20 7
Figure 2: Overall BLEPT elementary and secondary passing rates: 2014–2022 9
Figure 3: Overall passing rates in selected disciplines: 2014–2022 10
Figure 4: BLEPT elementary number of takers and passing rates, by first-time takers
and repeaters 10
Figure 5: BLEPT secondary number of takers and passing rates, by first-time takers
and repeaters 10
Figure 6: Distribution of BLEPT first-time and repeat takers: 2010-2022 11
Figure 7: BLEPT passing rates by major geographic location: 2010-2022 12
Figure 8: BLEPT passing rates by institution type: 2010-2022 16
Figure 9: Distribution of average overall passing rates: 2010–2022 16
Figure 10: COEs and CODs with less than 70% and 50% overall passing rates from
2010 – 2022 17

List of Tables

Table 1: Number of TEIs with BLEPT takers, by grade and main categories 8
Table 2: Regional distribution of BLEPT elementary passers and takers: 2010-2022 13
Table 3: Regional distribution of BLEPT secondary passers and takers: 2010-2022 13
Table 4: Poverty Incidence (2021), NAT scores (2018), and BLEPT Elementary Passing
Rates (2021), by region 14
Table 5: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of all takers: 2010-2022 19
Table 6: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of all takers: 2010-2022 19
Table 7: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022 20
Table 8: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022 20

2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 4
1 Introduction 5
2 Data and methodology 6
2.1 Teacher education landscape in the Philippines 6
3 Results and discussion 7
3.1 Measuring the quality of teacher education programs 7
3.1.1 BLEPT takers, passers, and passing rate 8
3.1.2 BLEPT passing rates by major geographic location 11
3.1.3 BLEPT passing rates by institution type 14
3.1.4 BLEPT passing rates by CHED program classification 16
3.1.5 Comparing high- and low-performing TEIs 17
4 Summary and policy recommendations 20
5 References 23
Annex 1: Supplementary figures 24
Annex 2: Policies on Re-Examination 26
Annex 3: List of the top 10 and bottom 10 teacher education institutions based on
overall passing rates 1

3
Executive Summary
Results from international assessments which show the poor performance of Filipino
students in reading, mathematics, and science served as a wake-up call to develop
urgent solutions to improve the current education landscape in the Philippines. An
important area that needs to be tackled is on teacher quality, which has been
long-established in the literature as a key determinant in student learning outcomes.
The poor performance of Board Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers (BLEPT)
takers over the past decade puts into question the educational quality of teacher
education institutions (TEI) in the country as well as its relevance and
appropriateness as an exam to screen professional teachers.

This study analyzed the performance of teacher education institutions using the
12-year data from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC), covering
information on the performance of BLEPT takers. Results from the study suggest
that the average passing rate of BLEPT takers from 2010-2022 is less than in other
disciplines. The findings also suggest higher passing rates among first-time takers
than repeaters. Alternatively, this means that there is a higher likelihood of failure
among those who retake the exam. Regional disparities in passing rates are
observed, where TEIs in Luzon (i.e., NCR and other Luzon) perform better than others.
On the other hand, Mindanao exhibits the lowest regional passing rate, which is
mainly driven by the extremely low score of BARMM. Concomitantly, poverty rates
and national achievement test (NAT) scores tend to be positively correlated with
BLEPT passing rates. By type of institution and ownership, private sectarian higher
education institutions (HEIs), Centers of Excellence (COEs), and Centers of
Development (CODs) outperform others. Contrary to expectations, however, high
passing rates do not seem to be sustained by all COEs and CODs.

Apart from characterizing the TEIs, the study also classified them into
high-performing and low-performing categories. High-performing TEIs pertain to
those with an overall passing rate of at least 75% in at least 7 out of the 12 years, from
2010 to 2022. On the other hand, low-performing TEIs pertain to those with an overall
passing rate of at most 25% in the same period. Based on overall passing rates of TEIs
with at least 300 takers, only 2.2% of TEIs are classified as high-performing while
34.8% are low-performing for BLEPT elementary. Meanwhile, the proportion of both
high-performing and low-performing TEIs is lower for BLEPT secondary, which stood
at 2.0% and 24.4%, respectively. The share of high-performing TEIs is highest in NCR,
while the share of low-performing TEIs is highest in Mindanao. At a more granular
level, data from BARMM shows that 34 out of its 39 TEIs are considered
low-performing. Private sectarian TEIs and COEs have the highest proportion of
high-performing schools. However, it is noteworthy that not all COEs are classified as

4
high-performing, and that one of the CODs is even considered low-performing. The
analysis shows that the majority of COEs have average passing rates lower than 75%
percent from 2010 to 2022 for both BLEPT elementary and secondary.

The key recommendations include: (1) tight monitoring of TEI performance and
building more COEs per region; (2) analyze the feasibility of licensing TEIs and(or)
establishing a tiered licensing system for TEI graduates; (3) closing down of teacher
education programs of consistently low-performing TEIs; (4) implementing a 3-strike
rule for repeaters; and (5) developing and publishing granular and regular data on
TEI performance. Ultimately, the study is not without limitations. An important
caveat is that the study does not measure the relevance of the BLEPT questions
vis-à-vis the competencies needed by professional teachers as stated in the
Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPSTs). Perhaps, a better question to
ask for further analysis is on whether the BLEPT itself is the best way to assess the
competencies needed by professional teachers.

1 Introduction

The education crisis persists in the Philippines, as revealed by the poor performance
of Filipino students in international large-scale assessments (Generalao et. al 2022).
Results from the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed
that 15-year old students have one of the lowest scores in reading, mathematics, and
science among the countries that were surveyed (DepEd 2019). The dismal
performance is further confirmed in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics
and Science Study (TIMMS) report which showed that Grade 4 Filipinos obtained the
lowest scores in mathematics and science among the 58 countries included in the
survey.

The poor performance of students could be traced back to the low quality of basic
education, where low teacher qualification is considered a major contributor (Orbeta
and Pacqueo 2022). Hanushek and Rivkin (2006) found large disparities in learning
outcomes among students who are subject to effective and ineffective teachers.
Students who are in an ineffective teacher’s classroom for 2 years could put them
behind a full year compared to those who are taught by average teachers. Hansen
(2014) also finds some evidence that simply allocating more students to effective
teachers could boost student achievements.

Despite the importance of teachers in solving the education crisis, challenges in

raising teacher quality remain in the Philippines. A study conducted by the World
Bank (2016) showed that there is an inadequacy in subject matter experts among
elementary and high school teachers – except for elementary school-level English; an

5
elementary or high school teacher can correctly answer less than half of the
questions on subject content tests. The analysis also suggests that a lot of the
teachers have some understanding of the subject area but did not have critical
problem-solving skills required for effective curriculum delivery.

Licensure examinations are implemented with the goal of ensuring the eligibility of
every candidate to teach based on a certain set of standards (Libman 2016; Abdallah
and Musah 2021). In the Philippines, this requirement is stipulated in Republic Act
No. 7836 or the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 (as amended by
Republic Act No. 9293). The law required graduates to acquire a college degree in
teacher education and pass the Board Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers
(BLEPT). BLEPT passing rates in most years are lower than those in other disciplines,
which could be indicative of gaps in teacher education.

The onus of passing the BLEPT is not only borne by the student, but also by higher
education institutions (HEIs) which offer teacher education programs (i.e., teacher
education institutions or TEIs), as their programs should reflect the competencies
needed from a professional teacher. As previous research suggests, academically
prepared teachers are better equipped in facilitating student learning (Olson 2020), it
is necessary to ensure that the TEIs meet the necessary standards to produce highly
effective teachers.

2 Data and methodology

The study utilized 12-year data on the performance of TEIs in the BLEPT, compiled
from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) website. It includes information
on the number of overall takers and passers and number of first-time passers and
takers from April 2010 to October 2022 (excluding 2020)1. This was merged with the
data on TEI characteristics as of AY 2021-2022 from CHED. The TEI-level data covers
information on the following items: region, type of ownership, and CHED program
classification.

Note that the dataset used in the analysis has some limitations. First, TEI names in
the dataset may display some difference from the actual name of TEIs, as it is based
on the entries from examinees as recorded by the PRC. Second, some of the TEIs
included in the dataset might not have education programs, as the TEI information is
mainly based on the undergraduate degree of applicants rather than the school
where the Certificate in Teaching Program of some applicants was obtained. Finally,

1
In 2020, the BLEPT was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore by default, there were no
exam takers during this time.

6
some programs of TEIs may have been recently closed down by CHED but are still
reflected in the dataset as their graduates retake the BLEPT.

A descriptive research design is adapted with the aim of understanding factors that
may affect TEI performance in the BLEPT. In this regard, cross-tabulations between
passing rates and different TEI characteristics were created. These were later
visualized through bar charts and line charts for easier examination of existing
trends. Additional analysis was also conducted to determine the high-performing
and low-performing TEIs.

Data analysis was conducted in MS Excel and Stata 17.

2.1 Teacher education landscape in the Philippines

As of Academic Year (AY) 2019-2020, over 1,500 HEIs out of 1,975 HEIs (2,396 HEIs
including satellite campuses) offer education science and teaching training in the
Philippines (CHED 2020; Yambot and Cambel 2020). These HEIs cater to a large and
increasing number of students. The number of students in these courses increased
over the years, and in 2020, they accounted for almost 20% of all students enrolled in
HEIs, the second largest across all other higher education program offerings. Despite
remaining popular among students, graduation rates in teacher education courses
tend to be consistently low (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Total number of enrollees and graduates in teacher education programs:

Philippines, AY 2010-11 and 2019-20

Source: Author’s calculations from CHED data.

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Apart from low graduation rates, most recent available data also suggests that there
is still much room for improvement in faculty qualifications among HEIs in general,
as only 39% of the faculty obtained graduate degrees, and about 15% have PhD
degrees (CHED 2020). High-performing TEIs mainly include teachers with advanced
degrees while low-performing TEIs tend to have more teachers with a baccalaureate
degree (Yambot and Cambel 2020). This could suggest an oversight on faculty
qualifications among low-performing TEIs, given that the CHED Memorandum No.
74 and 75 series of 2017 requires teachers in teacher education programs to have a
master’s degree in education or a related discipline. The faculty qualifications could
be an important area to consider when aiming to improve the quality of TEIs. An
earlier study shows a significantly positive relationship between the number of
faculty with MS/PhD degrees and the number of Centers of Development (CODs)
(Manasan 2012).

3 Results and discussion

3.1 Measuring the quality of teacher education programs

Teacher licensure examinations are instituted with the aim of ensuring only qualified
teachers gain access to teaching. This ideology is reflected in the Republic Act No.
7836 or the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 (as amended by
Republic Act No. 9293) officially prescribed a licensing exam for teachers. The
examination for elementary level teachers has two parts, namely professional
education, and general education. On the other hand, the secondary-level
examination consists of tests on professional education, general education, and field
of specialization. The field of specialization test qualifies the teacher at the secondary
level to teach in the discipline for which he or she has passed. Considering that
licensure exams are supposed to encapsulate the teaching competencies taught in
school, passing rate in these exams are often used as a proxy for the quality of
instruction or TEIs (Manasan 2012; Generelao et. al 2022).

To date, most of the TEIs which have BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary
takers are in Luzon (i.e., NCR and other Luzon) and are classified as private
non-sectarian, while only a small proportion qualify as COEs or CODs.

More than half of the TEIs with BLEPT elementary (50.5%) and BLEPT secondary
(85.1%) takers are in NCR and other regions in Luzon (Table 1). These regions also
house a large proportion (approximately 60%) of the Centers of Excellence (COEs)
and Centers of Development (CODs). By institutional type, private non-sectarian
schools dominate others by volume, therefore accounting to approximately half of
the TEIs with BLEPT elementary (49.4%) and BLEPT secondary (56.5%) takers.

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 Table 1: Number of TEIs with BLEPT takers, by grade and main categories

Elementary Secondary
Major Geographic Location
NCR 141 306
Other Luzon 649 1,024
Visayas 310 442
Mindanao 463 580
Unknown 0 4
Institution type
Local Universities and Colleges 107 120
State Universities and Colleges 458 573
Private Sectarian 216 312
Private Non-Sectarian 772 1,332
Other HEIs 10 19
CHED Program Classification
COE 25 36
COD 15 35
Non-COE/COD 1,523 2,285
Total 1,563 2,356
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC and CHED data.

3.1.1 BLEPT takers, passers, and passing rate

There was a steady increase in the number of BLEPT takers and passers in the past
decade (Figure 2). The overall number of BLEPT elementary takers has doubled from
66,727 in 2010 to 162,741 in 2019 while the number of BLEPT secondary takers has
tripled from 61,310 to 219,487 in the same period. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the
BLEPT was canceled in 2020, and therefore there were no exam takers during this
year. The exams resumed in 2021, although exhibiting a dramatic decline in the
number of takers relative to previous years. This may be explained by the
implementation of physical distancing measures in testing centers and mandatory
testing among suspected cases with exposure to COVID-19 (PRC Joint Administrative
Order No. 2021- 01). Further, there was only one round of exams conducted in 2021.
The number of takers bounced back in 2022, which may capture the stock of
graduates who were unable to take the BLEPT in the past 2 years. No significant
improvements in passing rates for both BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary
were observed across the years, except for 2021 and 2022, where the highest passing
rates were recorded.

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 Figure 2: Overall BLEPT elementary and secondary passing rates: 2010–2022

Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data

Overall passing rate of LET examinees are lower than other courses/licensure exams.

Most recent available data from the PRC suggests that BLEPT passing rates are lower
than those in other professional board examinations. Based on average overall
passing rates from 2010 to 2022, BLEPT elementary obtained the lowest passing rates
among professional board examinations, with approximately one-thirds of its takers
passing the exams (Figure 3). While the passing rate in BLEPT secondary is higher, it
still suggests that less than half of the takers are qualified enough to be teachers,
based on the criteria set in the exam.

Figure 3: Overall passing rates in selected disciplines: 2010–2022

Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.

10
Higher passing rates are observed among first-time takers relative to repeaters. This
suggests the higher likelihood of failure among those who take the exam again.

Repeaters in BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary represent a substantial share

in the total number of takers (Figure 4 and Figure 5). The share of repeaters to the
total number of takers is more than 50% from 2010 to 2022. A glaring difference in
the passing rates between first-time takers and repeaters is likewise observed. In
most years, passing rates of first-time takers is more than double than the passing
rates of repeaters. Average passing rates from 2010 to 2022 of first-time takers stood
at approximately 50%, while the passing rates for repeaters is just over 20%. Apart
from reflecting the quality of TEIs, the poor performance of BLEPT takers also have
an implication on the supply of teachers. For example, DepEd in 2017 noted that
even if they hire all BLEPT passers in this year, it is still not enough to cover the
shortfall of more than 10,000 teachers in 2018 (David and Ducanes 2018).

Figure 4: BLEPT elementary number of takers and passing rates, by first-time takers
and repeaters: 2010-2022

Source: Author’s calculations from PRC data.

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Figure 5: BLEPT secondary number of takers and passing rates, by first-time takers
and repeaters:2010-2022

Source: Author’s calculations from PRC data.

One possible factor that may explain the spike in the passing rates in 2021 is the
unusually low total number of takers, composed mainly of first-time takers
(Figure 6). In 2021, the percentage share of first-time takers for BLEPT elementary
and BLEPT secondary stood at 79.5% and 85.2%, respectively. This is considerably
higher than the shares in the preceding. To add, data for 2021 only reflects one
round of examinations which were conducted in September. Historical data
suggests that there are typically more first-time takers during this period (Annex
Figure 1). A large difference in performance is observed between March and
September intakes, with the latter being substantially higher (Annex Figure 2
and Annex Figure 3).

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Figure 6: Distribution of BLEPT first-time and repeat takers: 2010-2022

Note: No exam takers for 2020 due to the cancellation of the PRC licensure exams.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.

At the TEI level, approximately 56% of TEIs in BLEPT elementary and secondary have
passing rates below the 12-year average national passing rate for overall takers.
Meanwhile, it’s approximately 45.7% and 49.4% for first time takers of BLEPT
elementary and BLEPT secondary, respectively.

3.1.2 BLEPT passing rates by major geographic location

Big regional disparities in overall and first-time passing rates remain persistent,
with BARMM ranking last (Figure 7).

Across all periods, BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary passing rates are highest
in the National Capital Region (NCR), while lowest in Mindanao. The gap between the
overall passing rates in the two regions is large, showing an average of 20 percentage
point difference for BLEPT elementary and a 22-percentage point difference for
BLEPT secondary from 2010 to 2022. Meanwhile, passing rates in Visayas are
comparable to the average of other regions in Luzon.

13
Figure 7: BLEPT passing rates by major geographic location: 2010-2022

Source: Author’s calculations from PRC and CHED data.

A closer look at regional performance reveals that the passing rates from the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) tends to drive
down the average performance in Mindanao (Table 2 and Table 3). The average
overall passing rates from 2010 to 2022 stood at 15.8% for BLEPT elementary and 12.6%
for BLEPT secondary, which is extremely low even when just comparing with its
regional counterparts where overall passing rates range from 27.9% (Zamboanga
Peninsula) to 47.0% (Davao Region). Meanwhile, BARMM’s passing rate for first-time
takers is only marginally higher than its overall passing rate, which means first-time
takers have the almost same passing rate as repeaters.

Table 2: Regional distribution of BLEPT elementary passers and takers: 2010-2022

Rank Overall Overall Overall First-time

Region (based on Passers Takers Passing-rat Passing
overall e (%) Rate (%)
passing rate)
National Capital Region (NCR) 1 22,224 47,566 49.8 62.8
Cordillera Administrative 2 8,606 21,050 43.6 56.4
Region (CAR)
Region I (Ilocos Region) 11 18,688 50,626 34.9 46.6
Region II (Cagayan Valley) 8 13,028 38,790 36.9 53.5

14
 Region III (Central Luzon) 9 31,263 90,682 36.5 48.0
Region IV-A (CALABARZON) 6 28,624 86,881 38.9 54.4
MIMAROPA Region 12 12,313 40,768 32.4 48.9
Region V (Bicol Region) 10 37,293 127,805 36.1 48.5
Region VI (Western Visayas) 5 32,756 77,845 41.4 55.5
Region VII (Central Visayas) 4 37,135 96,108 41.5 55.1
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) 13 27,647 94,201 31.2 47.9
Region IX (Zamboanga 16 19,429 85,683 27.9 35.4
Peninsula)
Region X (Northern Mindanao) 7 23,490 72,518 37.8 52.5
Region XI (Davao Region) 3 14,590 34,883 42.8 58.2
Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) 14 18,534 74,531 30.3 40.8
Region XIII (CARAGA) 15 13,267 45,545 28.9 42.7
Bangsamoro Autonomous 17 16,417 144,456 15.8 21.7
Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
Total 375,304 1,229,938 36.6 49.7
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC data.

Table 3: Regional distribution of BLEPT secondary passers and takers: 2010-2022

Rank Overall Overall Overall First-time

Region (based on Passers Takers Passing-rat Passing
overall e (%) Rate (%)
passing
rate)
National Capital Region (NCR) 1 70,269 137,917 50.4 61.3
Cordillera Administrative 3 18,008 36,443 45.2 56.2
Region
(CAR)
Region I (Ilocos Region) 8 26,941 67,105 38.1 49.1
Region II (Cagayan Valley) 9 29,395 72,793 35.8 50.9
Region III (Central Luzon) 6 49,028 127,234 43.3 54.2
Region IV-A (CALABARZON) 4 58,545 146,365 44.6 56.2
MIMAROPA Region 14 20,000 55,328 31.7 48.4
Region V (Bicol Region) 10 45,511 128,481 35.3 47.9
Region VI (Western Visayas) 7 40,572 94,486 42.7 55.6
Region VII (Central Visayas) 5 45,733 106,287 44.2 58.5
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) 13 33,081 113,933 32.0 48.2
Region IX (Zamboanga 16 19,918 83,796 24.9 35.0
Peninsula)
Region X (Northern Mindanao) 11 27,157 66,371 33.6 46.5
Region XI (Davao Region) 2 34,213 73,031 47.0 60.0

15
 Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) 15 29,096 91,364 31.6 40.8
Region XIII (CARAGA) 12 14,038 41,421 32.5 47.5
Bangsamoro Autonomous 17 9,913 57,206 12.6 18.8
Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)
Unknown 11 32 31.2 51.7
Total 571,429 1,499,593 39.5 51.6
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC data.

BLEPT passing rates, NAT scores, and poverty tend to follow a similar pattern across
regions.

An earlier analysis by Yambot and Cambel (2020) shows a negative relationship

between the BLEPT passing rate and the poverty incidence rate. On the contrary,
BLEPT passing rates have a positive relationship with NAT mean percentage scores.
Latest available regional data on these items provides descriptive evidence on these
trends (Table 4). For example, regions which exhibited higher BLEPT elementary
passing rates such as the NCR and CAR demonstrated lower poverty incidence rates
and higher NAT scores. On the contrary, those with lower BLEPT elementary passing
rates such as the BARMM and Zamboanga Peninsula have higher poverty incidence
rates and lower NAT scores. However, it is worth noting that BARMM has higher NAT
scores than its regional counterparts.

Table 4: Poverty Incidence (2021), NAT scores (2018), and BLEPT Elementary Passing
Rates (2021), by region

Poverty Grade 6 NAT BLEPT

Region Incidenc Overall Mean Percentage Score: SY Elementary
e (%) 2017-2018 Passing
Problem Information Critical Rates (%)
Solving Literacy Thinking
National Capital Region (NCR) 2.2 50.7 49.6 42.1 49.8
Cordillera Administrative 6.9 41.8 41.7 35.1 43.6
Region
(CAR)
Region I (Ilocos Region) 11 39.5 39.5 33.6 34.9
Region II (Cagayan Valley) 11.7 40 39.8 33.7 36.9
Region III (Central Luzon) 8.3 41.7 41 35.2 36.5
Region IV-A (CALABARZON) 7.2 45.1 44.1 37.8 38.9
MIMAROPA Region 15 39.7 39.1 34.1 32.4
Region V (Bicol Region) 21.9 37.2 36.9 31.8 36.1
Region VI (Western Visayas) 13.8 37.9 38.1 32.3 41.4
Region VII (Central Visayas) 22.1 39.1 39.8 33.1 41.5
Region VIII (Eastern Visayas) 22.2 38.2 38 32.5 31.2

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 Region IX (Zamboanga 23.4 34.9 35.8 30.5 27.9
Peninsula)
Region X (Northern Mindanao) 19.2 37.2 37.8 32.2 37.8
Region XI (Davao Region) 11.9 37 37.4 32.1 42.8
Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) 21.4 38.1 38 32.8 30.3
Region XIII (CARAGA) 25.9 38.7 38.2 32.9 28.9
Bangsamoro Autonomous 29.8 42.8 41.1 36.0 15.8
Region in Muslim Mindanao
(BARMM)
Sources: Author’s compilation of data from PSA, PRC, and DepED.

3.1.3 BLEPT passing rates by institution type

In most years, private sectarian HEIs outperformed other institution types in BLEPT
elementary and BLEPT secondary (Figure 8).

From 2010 to 2022, the average overall passing rates of private sectarian TEIs is at
42.6% for BLEPT elementary and 49.5% for BLEPT secondary. Overall passing rates of
LUCs and SUCs are slightly lower for BLEPT elementary, which are both
approximately 40%. A more substantial gap between private sectarian TEIs and
public TEIs is observed in BLEPT secondary, where overall passing rates of LUCs and
SUCs are at 43.1% and 34.7%, respectively. Passing rates for private non-sectarian TEIs
fall behind, with an average overall passing rate of 31.2% for BLEPT elementary and
35.9% for BLEPT secondary. This makes approximately 65.6% and 58.1% of them fall
below the national average for BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary, respectively.

The high average of private sectarian TEIs tends to be driven by numerous

top-performers which differ significantly from others within this group (Figure 9).
Examples of which include De La Salle University Manila (NCR), Xavier University
(Northern Mindanao), Ateneo De Naga University (Bicol Region), and the University
of Santo Tomas (NCR) for BLEPT elementary. The same logic applies for the SUCs.
The outliers in this group include the University of the Philippines-Diliman (NCR) and
the Philippine Normal University (NCR). Meanwhile, there are a few private
non-sectarian TEIs which seem to perform relatively with other TEI types, although
they are usually located in Visayas or Luzon. Examples include the New Era University
(NCR), University of the Cordilleras (CAR), and Silliman University (Central Visayas).

Figure 8: BLEPT passing rates by institution type: 2010-2022

17
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC and CHED data.

Figure 9: Distribution of average overall passing rates: 2010–2022

Note: The caps of the box plot represent the minimum and maximum values, while the dots correspond
to those considered as outliers. The vertical line inside the blue box represents the median value. The
ends of the box represent the upper and lower quartiles, while the box itself represents the interquartile
range. The data includes all TEIs which have more than 300 BLEPT takers from 2010 to 2022.
Source: Author’s calculations from PRC and CHED data.

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3.1.4 BLEPT passing rates by CHED program classification

68% of COEs and 86.7% of CODs are not high-performing or have overall passing
rates below 75% in BLEPT elementary. Observed proportions are higher in BLEPT
secondary, where 80.6% and 91.4% of COEs and CODs, respectively, are not
high-performing.

As expected, TEIs classified as Center of Excellence (COEs) performed better than

those categorized as Center of Development (COD) and non-COE/COD. For example,
average overall passing rate for BLEPT elementary among COEs between 2010 to
2022 averaged at 65.8%, surpassing the passing rates of CODs and non-COE/CODs
which stood at 54.5% and 34.9%, respectively. Passing rates among first-time takers
from COEs and CODs are even higher, with more than 75% of takers passing the
exam.

The performance of TEIs in COEs and CODs may be explained by the criteria set by
CHED for program classification (Yambot and Cambel 2020). One of CHED’s
requirements to be accredited as a COE and COD is to rank in top 10 and top 20,
respectively, for 3 consecutive years (CHED Memorandum No. 26 series of 2007).
However, high passing rates do not seem to be sustained by all TEIs which gain the
COE and COD status. For instance, more than two-thirds of COEs and CODs have
average passing rates lower than 75% percent from 2010 to 2022. One of the CODs
(i.e., Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College) even recorded an average overall
passing rate of merely 13.8% for BLEPT secondary in the same period. By being
accredited, COEs and CODs are already assumed to have met the standards imposed
by CHED, which might have encouraged complacency.

Figure 10: COEs and CODs with less than 75% overall passing rates from 2010 – 2022

Source: Author’s calculations from PRC and CHED data.

19
3.1.5 Comparing high- and low-performing TEIs

This study follows the classification used by Yambot and Cambel (2020) in
determining high- and low-performing TEIs but extending the period of analysis to
2022. Following their criteria, only TEIs with more than 300 examinees from 2010 to
2022 were captured in the analysis.2 High-performing TEIs pertain to those with an
overall passing rate of at least 75% in at least 7 out of the 12 years, from 2010 to 2022.
On the other hand, low-performing TEIs pertain to those with an overall passing rate
of at most 25% in the same time frame.

Based on overall passing rates of TEIs with at least 300 takers, only 2.2% of TEIs are
classified as high-performing while 34.8% are low-performing for BLEPT elementary
(Table 5).

When taking into account the full list of TEIs regardless of the number of takers, this
means that only 1.1% of the TEIs are considered high performing. For BLEPT
secondary, both the percentage of high-performing and low-performing TEIs with at
least 300 takers is lower, which is at 2.0% and 24.4%, respectively (Table 6). When
filtering out to the first-time takers, the proportion of high-performing TEIs increases
and low-performing TEIs decreases substantially (Table 7 and Table 8).

By geographic location: NCR tends to stand-out, with 17.1% of its TEIs in the
high-performing category, which is relatively higher than those in other regions
where the percentage is only 2% and below. Meanwhile, the proportion of
low-performing TEIs in Mindanao suggest that more than half of its TEIs (with more
than 300 takers in the past 12 years) have extremely low passing rates. In the case of
BARMM, 34 out of the 39 TEIs in BLEPT elementary are considered low-performing.

By institution type: Private sectarian TEIs tend to have the highest proportion of
high-performing schools for both BLEPT elementary and BLEPT secondary, which is
more than 5%. On the other hand, more than half (54%) of private non-sectarian TEIs
are low-performing for BLEPT elementary. While there are only a few number of
LUCs considered as high-performing, the percentage of its low-performing TEIs is
considerably lower than the other institutional types, at least based on the
performance of all takers.

2
Following the explanation in Yambot and Cambel (2020), top performing schools released
by PRC considers 50 or more examinees. The same rule is applied in this study, but is adapted
to accommodate 12-year data. There will be more than 300 examinees considering that there
are at least 50 examinees in at least six out of 12 years.

20
By CHED program classification: It is unsurprising that the highest proportion of
high-performing TEIs are found in COEs. On the other hand, it is also puzzling as to
why not all COEs are high-performers. As such, only 33.3% and 17.1% of COEs (with
over 300 takers in the past decade) qualify as high-performers in BLEPT elementary
and BLEPT secondary, respectively. Lower proportion of high-performers is observed
among CODs. In fact, one which is even considered as a low-performer in BLEPT
secondary.

Table 5: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of overall takers: 2010-2022
Number of
Number of Number of
TEIs in
high-performin low-performing
  % % category (>
g TEIs (> or TEIs (< or equal
or equal to
equal to 75%) to 25%)
300 takers)
 Major Geographic Location
NCR 6 17.1 5 14.3 35
Other Luzon 5 1.4 112 32.5 345
Visayas 4 2.1 38 19.8 192
Mindanao 3 1.2 132 52.4 252
Institution Type
LUCs 1 1.6 8 12.9 62
SUCs 10 3.5 46 16.3 283
Private Sectarian 7 5.6 37 31.9 116
Private
0 0.0 195 54.0 361
Non-Sectarian
CHED program classification
COE 8 33.3 0 0.0 24
COD 1 7.7 1 7.7 13
Non-COE/COD 9 1.1 286 36.3 787
Total 18 2.2 287 34.8 824
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data

Table 6: Number of high- and low-performing TEIS in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of overall takers: 2010-2022
Number of
Number of Number of
TEIs in
high-performin low-performing
  % % category (>
g TEIs (> or TEIs (< or equal
or equal to
equal to 75%) to 25%)
300 takers)
 Major Geographic Location
NCR 5 8.1 3 4.8 62
Other Luzon 6 1.6 64 17.3 370
Visayas 3 1.6 39 20.7 188

21
 Mindanao 3 1.4 98 45.2 217
Institution Type
LUCs 2 3.3 6 10.0 60
SUCs 6 1.9 74 22.8 324
Private Sectarian 8 6.8 22 18.6 118
Private
1 0.3 98 29.7 330
Non-Sectarian
CHED program classification
COE 6 17.1 0 0.0 35
COD 2 5.9 1 2.9 34
Non-COE/COD 9 1.2 203 26.4 768
Total 17 2.0 204 24.4 837
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data

Table 7: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT elementary based
on the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022
Number of
Number of Number of
TEIs in
high-performin low-performi
  % % category (>
g TEIs (> or ng TEIs (< or
or equal to
equal to 75%) equal to 25%)
300 takers)
 Major Geographic Location
NCR 11 31.4 1 2.9 35
Other Luzon 29 8.4 18 5.2 345
Visayas 19 9.9 3 1.6 192
Mindanao 18 7.1 58 23.0 252
Institution Type
LUCs 4 6.5 3 4.8 62
SUCs 35 12.4 11 3.9 283
Private Sectarian 22 19.0 4 3.4 116
Private
16 4.4 61 16.9 361
Non-Sectarian
CHED program classification
COE 18 75.0 0 0.0 24
COD 4 30.8 0 0.0 13
Non-COE/COD 55 7.0 80 10.2 787
Total 77 9.3 80 9.7 824
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data

22
Table 8: Number of high- and low-performing TEIs in the BLEPT secondary based on
the performance of first-time takers: 2010-2022
Number of Number of
Number of
low-perform TEIs in
high-performin
  % ing TEIs (< or % category (>
g TEIs (> or
equal to or equal to
equal to 75%)
25%) 300 takers)
 Major Geographic Location
NCR 10 16.1 0 0.0 62
Other Luzon 29 7.8 8 2.2 370
Visayas 17 9.0 5 2.7 188
Mindanao 16 7.4 44 20.3 217
Institution Type
LUCs 5 8.3 0 0.0 60
SUCs 33 10.2 17 5.2 324
Private Sectarian 19 16.1 3 2.5 118
Private
15 4.5 33 10.0 330
Non-Sectarian
CHED program classification
COE 23 65.7 0 0.0 35
COD 9 26.5 1 2.9 34
Non-COE/COD 40 5.2 56 7.3 768
Total 72 8.6 57 6.8 837
Source: Authors’ calculations from PRC and CHED data

A simple analysis of the top and bottom TEIs based on the average passing rates and
segregated by the number of takers (i.e., 300 to 999 and greater than or equal to
1,000) show that Mindanao is the worst performing region in terms of passing rates
(See Annex 3 for list of top and bottom 10 TEIs). As such, almost all of the bottom
ranked schools are in this region, regardless of the number of examinees. Meanwhile,
for TEIs with over 1,000 BLEPT elementary examinees in the past 12 years, 8 out of 10
are COEs or CODs which appear to be fairly distributed across Luzon, Visayas, and
Mindanao. Top TEIs with less than 1,000 examinees, on the other hand, tend to be
concentrated in Luzon, where one is classified as a COE. Findings for top and bottom
TEIs are the same for BLEPT secondary.

4 Summary and policy recommendations

This study provided an updated analysis on the performance of the TEIs following
Yambot and Cambel (2020) by extending its scope to 2022. As likewise found in the

23
earlier study, passing rates of first-time takers are considerably greater than those of
repeaters. Consequently, passing rates during the September intake of the BLEPT is
higher compared to March, with the former having a larger proportion of first-time
takers than the latter. Relative to other disciplines, passing rates of BLEPT examinees
are relatively lower than those in other professions.

Disparities in the performance of TEIs across different classifications persist. By

region, the NCR remains the top performer, largely ahead of its other major regional
counterparts. Lowest passing rates are observed in Mindanao, which is mainly driven
by the performance of BARMM. Private sectarian HEIs have the highest BLEPT
passing rates, although this appears to be driven by exceptional performers in the
group. LUCs and SUCs follow next, while private non-sectarian TEIs which constitute
a large proportion of all TEIs fall behind. Under the CHED program classification,
COEs show exceptional performance, especially among its first-time takers. On the
other hand, non-COE/CODs fall largely behind. Interestingly, however, high passing
rates (75% above) do not seem to be sustained by all COEs and CODs in the period
examined in this study.

Below are a set of policy recommendations following the more recent findings:

Focus on building more and maintaining COEs per region, support CODs to
become COEs, and tighten monitoring of their performance.

The first agenda of CHED should be to monitor and ensure that the HEIs meet the
minimum standards and impose sanctions on HEIs which are underperforming.
Strict monitoring should be done, not just on public HEIs, but also for private HEIs as
well. Monitoring and regulation should also be applied to COEs and CODs, especially
on those who fail to maintain good performance. The Republic Act No. 11713 or the
Excellence in Teacher Education Act, which recognizes the need to establish more
COEs per region is a step in the right direction. However, the IRR of the said law has
not been released as of this writing.

There is also a need to rationalize the budget of publicly-funded TEIs such that the
support is provided to those who deserve it and those who need it. For example, a
study conducted by Manasan (2011) shows that there are some SUCs which view
offering popular programs as “income generating” projects, as increases in
enrollment may lead to higher subsidies from the national government due to the
normative funding formula. The study recommends that this formula should be
adjusted such that the increase in subsidy is also contingent on the TEIs meeting the
standards set by CHED, rather than being hinged on enrollment rates. Additional
resources (e.g., for faculty development and facilities upgrading), coupled with

24
mentoring, and visiting scholar programs should also be funneled to areas where
majority of the TEIs are low-performing such as the BARMM.

Review the responsiveness of teacher education curriculum and BLEPT to DepEd’s

PPSTs.

More than a decade of low passing rates suggests a disconnect between the teacher
education curriculum and the BLEPT questions. Moreover, the high learning poverty
rate also reflects issues on teacher quality, both in pre- and in-service. BLEPT, which
is the “gateway” of pre-service teachers to in-service teaching, should be reviewed to
ensure alignment of questions with the actual competencies needed by teachers in
the classrooms.

As such, and as mandated by Republic Act 11713 or the “Excellence in Teacher

Education Act”, the licensure examinations questions (and answers) should be
released regularly and reviewed by experts for transparency, quality, and relevance.

Moreover, further research should be done to assess the relevance and

appropriateness of the entire teacher licensure process. Given that teaching requires
both high cognitive and socio-emotional skills and competencies, do our pre-service
teaching structure and mechanisms set future teachers for success or failure?

Check the feasibility of establishing a tiered licensing system for TEI graduates
and/or licensing TEIs.

One possible reason for the high passing rates in 2022 is ample preparation among
BLEPT takers prior to the exam. With the cancellation of the 2020 exams, graduates
would have had enough time to review thoroughly. Increase in preparation time,
could therefore aid in improving licensure test outcomes. As suggested by Bagadion
and Tullao (2018), teacher education graduates could be given an option to enhance
their learning experience through other avenues first (e.g., working as teacher
assistant) and then be given professional certification. Once such certification is
achieved, then they can take the BLEPT. Teacher education graduates training as
parateachers under the supervision of professional teachers would help the former
gain more teaching experience while the latter benefits from assistance in classroom
management and lesson preparation.

Another option is to move the quality assurance from licensing students to licensing
the TEIs themselves. An example of a country which implements this system is
Australia, where Initial Teacher Preparation (ITP) programs need to be accredited by
regulatory authorities such as state governments, and teacher “registration” instead
of licensing is implemented (Australian Council for Education Research 2016).

25
Close down education programs of low-performing TEIs, specifically those who
consistently poorly perform year-after-year.

Closures of persistently ineffective TEIs could be a policy tool to improve educational

outcomes for aspiring teachers. Not only does it protect students from poor
education, but it also ensures that time and resources are not wasted on TEIs
(especially public TEIs) which do not meet the minimum standards. Ultimately, such
policy on school closures must be coupled with a strategy to aid displaced students
in finding better quality TEIs that they can enroll to. In the case of Mindanao
(especially in BARMM), greater effort and resources must be given to support
selected TEIs in improving their quality of instruction.

There is a need to implement a “3-strike rule” for repeaters.

Evidence from our analysis suggests that repeaters tend to retake the BLEPT
multiple times given their low passing rates. A 3-strike rule, similar to other
professional board exams, could be implemented to improve passing rates among
repeaters. In this case, those who fail the BLEPT after 3 takes should be compelled to
undertake refresher courses. For example, in medicine, examinees failing the board
exam on the third take are required to submit a Certificate of Completion of a
refresher course in a recognized medical school or college (See Annex 2 for more
examples).

Develop and publish granular and regular data that will help measure the
performance of TEIs.

There is no publicly available record of longitudinal or multi-year teacher licensure

performance other than PBEd’s records. PRC and CHED should continue this
endeavor to co-monitor and publicize HEI and individual performances not just for
teacher education but also for all other courses. Such data will not only help
households in their decision-making relevant to higher education (e.g., which TEIs to
enroll to) but will also help policymakers allocate public resources for improvement
and establishment of quality TEIs as needed by localities.

In addition, there is a need to separate the licensure data of takers with a certificate
in teaching (18 units) and a bachelor’s degree so that further research can be done to
analyze the performance of each group and necessary policies can be
recommended to further improve pre-service teacher quality.

26
5 References

Abdallah, Asma Khaleel, and Borhandden Musah Mohammed. 2021. "Effects of

teacher licensing on educators' professionalism: UAE case in local perception."
Heliyon.

Bagadion, Anna Marie, and Tereso Tullao Jr. 2018. Review of Content Analysis of
Licensure Examination for Teachers: Traditional vs Non-Traditional Teacher
Assessment. Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies De La
Salle University.
“Statistics - CHED.” 2020. CHED. July 23, 2020. https://ched.gov.ph/statistics/.
David, Clarissa, and Geoffrey Ducanes. 2018. Review of Teacher Education in the
Philippines: Are We Meeting the Demand for Quantity and Quality? UP
Center for Integrative and Development Studies.
https://issuu.com/up.cids/docs/higheredpolicybrief02-06?utm_medium=referr
al&utm_source=cids.up.edu.ph.

Generalao, Ian Nicole, Geoffrey Ducanes, Karol Mark Yee, and Clarissa C. David. 2022.
"Teacher Education in the Philippines: Are We Meeting the Demand for
Quality?" Philippine Journal of Public Policy: Interdisciplinary Development
Perspectives.
Goe, Laura. 2007. Review of The Link between Teacher Quality and Student
Outcomes: A Research Synthesis. National Comprehensive Center for Teacher
Quality.
http://www.gtlcenter.org/sites/default/files/docs/LinkBetweenTQandStudentO
utcomes.pdf.

Hanushek, Eric A, and Steven G Rivkin. 2006. "Teacher Quality." In Handbook of the
Economics of Education, 1052-1075. Elsevier B.V.
Libman, Zipora. 2012. "Licensing procedures, teacher effectiveeness and reasonable
expectations." International Review of Education 151-171.

Manasan, Rosario. 2012. Review of Rationalizing National Government Subsidies for

State Universities and Colleges. Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

Olson, Lynn. 2000. "Finding and Keeping Competent Teachers."

Orbeta Jr, Aniceto C., and Vicente B. Paqueo. 2022. Philippine Education: Situationer,
Challenges, and Ways Forward. Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

2019. PISA 2018 National Report of the Philippines. Department of Education.

World Bank, and Australian Aid. 2016. Assessing Basic Education Service Delivery in
the Philippines: The Philippines Public Education Expenditure Tracking and

27
 Quantitative Service Delivery Study. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Publisher,
The World Bank.

Yambot, John Lorenzo, and Ramoncito Cambel. 2020. Review of Are We Raising the
Bar for Teacher Preparation? BLEPT Performance of Teacher Education
Institutions in the Philippines: 2010-2019. Philippine Business for Education.

Annex 1: Supplementary figures

Annex Figure 1: Distribution of BLEPT first-time and repeat takers for March and
September examination schedule: 2010-2022

Note: No exam takers for 2020 due to the cancellation of the PRC licensure exams. The BLEPT was
conducted in April instead of March in 2010 and 2011, January instead of March in 2014, and August
instead of September in 2014. Three rounds of exams were conducted in 2022, where BLEPT was
conducted in January and June instead of March, and October instead of September.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.

28
Annex Figure 2: Passing rates in the BLEPT elementary for March and September
examination schedule: 2010-2022

Note: The gray dashed line in 2020 indicates the cancellation of PRC licensure exams due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Data for 2021 only reflects one round of examination. The BLEPT was
conducted in April instead of March in 2010 and 2011, January instead of March in 2014, and August
instead of September in 2014. Three rounds of exams were conducted in 2022, where BLEPT was
conducted in January and June instead of March, and October instead of September.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.

Annex Figure 3: Passing rates in the BLEPT secondary for March and September
examination schedule: 2010-2022

Note: The gray dashed line in 2020 indicates the cancellation of PRC licensure exams due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Data for 2021 only reflects one round of examination. The BLEPT was

29
conducted in April instead of March in 2010 and 2011, January instead of March in 2014, and August
instead of September in 2014. Three rounds of exam were conducted in 2022, where BLEPT was
conducted in January and June instead of March, and October instead of September.
Source: Author’s calculations from the PRC data.

Annex 2: Policies on Re-Examination

The following licensure exams require a refresher course for the applicant to retake
the examination after a number of consecutive or cumulative failures:

Examination Number of Details

Failures
before
Refresher
Course

Agricultural 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Engineering before the re-examination

Criminology 5 Every five (5) failures, whether consecutive or

cumulative, applicant must present a certification
issued by a reputable institution duly recognized by
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) that
such applicant has satisfactorily completed a
refresher course in criminology as a requirement for
the application to retake the LEC.

Dentistry 3 Every 3 failures, submit a 6-month refresher course

certificate (FTB)

Geodetic 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Engineering before the re-examination

Interior 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Design before the re-examination

Mechanical 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Engineering before the re-examination

Medical 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Technology before the re-examination

Medicine 3 An examinee who fails for the third (3rd) time shall
be required to submit Certificate of Completion of a
refresher course in a recognized medical school or
college and current two (2) certificates of Good Moral

30
 Character from the Medical School where he/she
graduated from and Hospital/Institution where
he/she completed his/her internship before he/she
shall be allowed to take the examinations.

Mining 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Engineering before the re-examination

Naval 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Architecture before the re-examination

Occupational 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

Therapy before the re-examination

Pharmacy 3 After three (3) failures - refresher course one year

before the re-examination

Public 2 Any candidate who fails in two (2) complete Certified

Accountancy Public Accountant Board Examinations shall be
disqualified from taking another set of examinations
unless he/ she submits evidence to the satisfaction
of the Board that he/she enrolled in and completed
at least twenty-four (24) units of subject given in the
licensure examination.

Other Policies on Re-Examination

Nursing An applicant who failed again in the set of subjects repeated in the
second examination must take re-examination on all subjects within
one year from the date of the second re-examination:

Provided, further, That should he or she still fail in this second

re-examination, the applicant shall be required to pursue a prescribed
course of study and to show proof of the completion of such course
before he or she will be admitted to a fourth examination.

Nutrition An applicant who fails to obtain a passing average but who obtained
and at least seventy-five percent (75%) in each of at least one-half of the
Dietetics total subject given in the examination, may be permitted to take
within two (2) years from the date of his/her examination, another
examination, on the subjects in which he/she obtained a grade below
seventy-five percent (75%). Should the examinee fail in the set of
subjects repeated in the second examination, he/she shall be required
to take all the subjects in the next examination.

Source: Author’s compilation based on PRC list of requirements.

31
Annex 3: List of the top 10 and bottom 10 teacher
education institutions based on overall passing rates

The list presents the top 10 and bottom 10 schools in the following ranges: 1) greater
than or equal to 1,000, and 2) 300 to 999 takers. The ranking is based on the average
yearly passing rates of TEIs from 2010 to 2022 to account for variation in yearly
performance.

a.1. Top 10 Elementary

School Name Major Category Total Total Average

geographic takers passers passing rate,
location % (2010-2022) 

Greater than or equal to 1,000 takers

UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS NCR COE 1,327 1,253 94.3
WEST VISAYAS STATE UNIVERSITY-
Visayas COD 2,938 2,482 85.9
LA PAZ
PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY -
NCR COE 2,332 2,020 85.8
MANILA
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY Other Luzon COE 1,028 854 84.6
XAVIER UNIVERSITY Mindanao COE 1,168 945 81.9
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN
Mindanao   1,544 1,229 78.8
PHILIPPINES-TAGUM
MARIANO MARCOS STATE
UNIVERSITY- LAOAG-COLLEGE OF Other Luzon COE 2,386 1,795 77.3
EDUCATION
CEBU NORMAL UNIVERSITY (CEBU
Visayas COE 5,587 3,801 70.8
STATE COLLEGE)
BENGUET STATE UNIVERSITY-LA
Other Luzon   2,559 1,683 67.8
TRINIDAD
MINDANAO STATE
UNIVERSITY-ILIGAN INSTITUTE OF Mindanao COE 1,453 919 67.5
TECHNOLOGY
Less than 1,000 takers (300 to 999
takers)
UNIVERSITY OF THE
NCR COE 562 553 98.6
PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN
DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-MANILA NCR COE 370 359 97.4
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE
NCR   531 479 93.4
PHILIPPINES-MAIN-STA. MESA
MIRIAM COLLEGE (for.MARYKNOLL
NCR   358 326 91.0
COLLEGE FDTN,INC)
BOHOL ISLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Visayas   850 747 88.0
(FOR.CVSCAFT)-TAGBILARAN
CITY COLLEGE OF CALAMBA Other Luzon   433 345 83.9
UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LA SALLE Visayas   572 452 80.4

32
 MINDANAO STATE
Mindanao   458 353 80.0
UNIVERSITY-(MAIGO SAT)
DAVAO DE ORO STATE COLLEGE
(FORMER COMPOSTELA VALLEY
Mindanao   323 262 79.3
STATE COLLEGE) - MONTEVISTA
BRANCH
CEBU TECHNOLOGICAL
Visayas   992 745 77.7
UNIVERSITY-ARGAO(for.CSCST)

a.1. Bottom 10 Elementary

School Name Major Category Total Total Average

geographic takers passers passing rate,
location % (2010- 2022) 

Greater than or equal to 1,000 takers

CENTRAL SULU COLLEGE Mindanao   4,970 299 4.6
TAWI-TAWI REGIONAL
Mindanao   4,874 256 4.7
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE*
MARAWI CAPITOL FOUNDATION
Mindanao   4,382 202 5.1
COLLEGE
JAMIATU MARAWI AL-ISLAMIA
Mindanao   1,707 109 5.7
FOUNDATION*
LAPAK AGRICULTURAL
Mindanao   2,573 172 5.9
COLLEGE-SIASI*
JAMIATUL PHILIPPINE AL-ISLAMIC Mindanao   8,221 544 6.6
MAPANDI MEMORIAL COLLEGE* Mindanao   1,200 79 6.9
DATU MALA MUSLIM MINDANAO
ISLAMIC COLLEGE FOUNDATION Mindanao   1,158 128 7.0
INC*
GANI L. ABPI COLLEGES,INC. Mindanao   1,632 156 7.3
ROXAS COLLEGE-ROXAS* Other Luzon   1,026 56 7.8
Less than 1,000 takers (300 to 999
takers)
PHILIPPINE HARVARDIAN
Mindanao   310 7 2.7
COLLEGE*
GLAN SCHOOL OF ARTS AND
Mindanao   586 21 4.5
TRADE*
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN
Mindanao   562 21 5.0
PHILIPPINES-BAGANGA
EASTERN KUTAWATO COLLEGE,
Mindanao   302 21 5.5
INC.
DANSALAN POLYTECHNIC
Mindanao   351 28 5.9
COLLEGE*
BUBONG MARZOK MEMORIAL
Mindanao   358 22 6.6
COLLEGE FOUNDATION*
ABUBAKAR COMPUTER LEARNING
Mindanao   379 28 6.6
CENTER*
SOUTHWESTERN MINDANAO
Mindanao   968 75 7.1
ISLAMIC INSTITUTE
PANGASINAN MEMORIAL
Other Luzon   427 27 8.3
COLLEGE*
OVILLA TECHNICAL COLLEGE Other Luzon   340 23 9.3

33
*Insufficient means to verify current status of institution or teaching program due (1) inactivity
of website or social media page in 2022, or (2) unavailability of website or social media page

b.1. Top 10 Secondary

School Name Major Category Total Total Average

geographic takers passers passing rate,
location %(2010- 2022) 

Greater than or equal to 1,000 takers

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-
NCR   1,621 1,523 94.3
DILIMAN
UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS NCR COE 2,549 2,289 90.9
PHILIPPINE NORMAL UNIVERSITY-
NCR COE 8,511 7,372 87.5
MANILA
XAVIER UNIVERSITY Mindanao COE 1,715 1,429 83.7
SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY Other Luzon COE 3,989 3,341 83.4
PHILIPPINE NORMAL
Mindanao COE 2,436 1,992 83.1
UNIVERSITY-MINDANAO
UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LA SALLE Visayas COD 1,508 1,167 78.1
UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS Visayas COE 1,905 1,438 76.6
PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG
NCR   1,959 1,386 73.5
VALENZUELA
ATENEO DE NAGA UNIVERSITY Other Luzon COE 2,129 1,551 72.5
Less than 1,000 takers (300 to 999
takers)
UNIVERSITY OF THE
Visayas   390 387 99.4
PHILIPPINES-VISAYAS ILOILO CITY
ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY-
NCR   340 337 99.4
Q.C.
UNIVERSITY OF THE
Other Luzon   385 381 99.1
PHILIPPINES-BAGUIO CITY
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-
Other Luzon   887 875 98.8
LOS BAÑOS
DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY- MANILA NCR   535 521 97.5
ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY Mindanao COD 736 656 88.4
DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY- LIPA Other Luzon   432 368 86.8
DAVAO DE ORO STATE COLLEGE
(FORMER COMPOSTELA VALLEY Mindanao   379 296 82.2
STATE COLLEGE) - MAIN
DAVAO DE ORO STATE COLLEGE
(FORMER COMPOSTELA VALLEY
Mindanao   329 242 82.1
STATE COLLEGE) - MARAGUSAN
BRANCH
CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FERNANDO -
Other Luzon   454 359 81.0
SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA

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b.2. Bottom 10 Secondary

School Name Major Category Total Total Average

geographic takers passers passing rate, %
location (2010-2022) 

Greater than or equal to 1,000 takers

TAWI-TAWI REGIONAL
Mindanao   2,713 25 0.8
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE*
HADJI BUTU SCHOOL OF ARTS AND
Mindanao   1,232 16 1.1
TRADES*
LANAO NATIONAL COLLEGE OF
Mindanao   2,387 64 3.9
ARTS AND TRADES
SANTA CRUZ MISSION SCHOOL,INC.
Mindanao   1,538 123 5.5
LAKE SEBU,SOUTH COTABATO
PACASUM COLLEGE* Mindanao   1,095 58 5.7
SULU STATE COLLEGE Mindanao   2,296 128 6.9
MINDANAO STATE
Mindanao   4,038 281 9.4
UNIVERSITY-SDTC-JOLO
NORTHEASTERN MINDANAO
Mindanao   1,817 232 10.9
COLLEGE*
MINDANAO STATE
Mindanao   5,222 616 12.4
UNIVERSITY-TAWI-TAWI
BASILAN STATE COLLEGE Mindanao   4,202 540 12.6
Less than 1,000 takers (300 to 999
takers)
MINDANAO CAPITOL COLLEGE Mindanao   423 18 3.5
LAPAK NATIONAL SCHOOL OF
Mindanao   307 10 3.6
FISHERIES*
JAMIATU MARAWI AL-ISLAMIA
Mindanao   420 28 5.2
FOUNDATION*
WESTERN MINDANAO STATE
Mindanao   413 33 5.8
UNIVERSITY-(for.ZNAC)TAMPILISAN
JAMIATUL PHILIPPINE AL-ISLAMIA Mindanao   919 59 5.8
DE LA VIDA COLLEGE* Mindanao   564 37 6.0
ROXAS COLLEGE- ROXAS* Other Luzon   595 36 6.0
KABASALAN NATIONAL
Mindanao   634 48 6.1
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL*
LANAO AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
Mindanao   388 20 6.1
EXT. - LANAO DEL SUR*
MARAWI CAPITOL FOUNDATION
Mindanao   538 19 7.3
COLLEGE
*Insufficient means to verify current status of institution or teaching program due (1) inactivity
of website or social media page in 2022, or (2) unavailability of website or social media page

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