Davao City topped the English Proficiency Index (EPI) among all cities in Mindanao, as per the 2023 EF English Proficiency Index.
The Davao region holds the highest EPI in Mindanao and placed second nationwide.
The Davao region scored 606, just behind the Cordillera Administrative Region with a score of 616.
Eastern Visayas follows with 596, the National Capital Region (NCR) with 593, and Central Visayas with 589.
Nationally, Davao City secured the third position in English proficiency among cities with a score of 609. Leading the list was Baguio with 618, followed by Dumaguete in second place with 617. Davao City (609) came next, trailed by Dasmariñas City and San Jose del Monte City in fourth with similar 606, and Bacolod City in fifth with a score of 605.
The data also revealed that Filipinos aged 26 to 30 lead in English proficiency with a score of 604, followed by those aged 31 to 40.
Reynaldo Pardillo, division president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Davao City, expressed satisfaction with the city's high proficiency, emphasizing its significance in the local and national context.
“Nalipay pod ta ani kay (We are happy) of course, the Philippines was in 20th place among the 113 countries in the local ranking for high-level proficiency. Davao has the highest proficiency in Mindanao and second in the Philippines,” Pardillo said.
Pardillo also raised concerns about the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) results, highlighting that the performance of Filipino students has remained unchanged since 2018.
The Philippines was ranked sixth to last in reading and mathematics, while in science, it landed third to last among 81 countries.
To maintain this elevated score in the EPI and enhance the PISA results, Pardillo underscored the importance of reducing the workload for teachers.
He emphasized the need to lessen the number of students under one teacher, allowing educators to concentrate on guiding and teaching students for an improved learning experience.
The Philippines moved up one spot to the 20th place out of 113 countries in the 2023 EF English Proficiency Index, maintaining its score of 578 from the previous year.
In Asia, the Philippines secured the second position with an overall score of 578, just behind Singapore.
Notably, 19 countries achieved 'high proficiency,' including the Philippines and 12 countries attained 'very high proficiency,' with the Netherlands leading with a score of 647, followed by Austria with 616, and Singapore with 631.RGP