English: Gatchalian, however, lamented that not so many students are taking up the STEM strand in senior high school, and even fewer pass the Civil Engineering Board Exam. For School Year 2022-2023, only 23.24% of 2.8 million senior high school students surveyed by the Department of Education (DepEd) are enrolled in the STEM strand. The average passing rate in the civil engineering licensure exams from 2017 to 2022 was at 41.4 percent, adding an average of 8,742 civil engineers annually. To date, there are more than 170,000 licensed civil engineers.
Filipino: Gayunpaman, nababahala si Gatchalian na kakaunti lamang ang mag-aaral ng STEM sa senior high school, at lalong mas kaunti ang pumapasa sa Civil Engineering Board Exam. Para sa School Year 2022-2023, 23.24% lamang sa 2.8 milyong mag-aaral sa senior high school na na-survey ng Department of Education (DepEd) ang naka-enroll sa STEM strand. Lumalabas naman na 41.4% lamang ang average passing rate sa civil engineering licensure exams mula 2017 hanggang 2022, katumbas ang average na 8,742 civil engineers taon-taon. Sa kasalukuyan, merong mahigit 170,000 na lisensyadong civil engineers sa bansa.