Current Trends and Issues in Philippine

Education
Source: United Nations International Children
Emergency Fund
Issue
UNICEF Philippines/2008/Francia
Achieing !asic primary education remains one o" the
greatest challenges in the Philippines#
UNICEF supports the Philippine $oernment%s
thrust o" e&panding access to 'uality Early Childhood
Care and (eelopment )ECC(* +hich includes
promoting uniersal ,indergarten# -his is meant to
contri!ute to+ards the achieement o" the education
.($s / Uniersal Primary Education and $ender
E'uality in 0asic Education#
-he ECC( program addresses the long1standing
concern +ith creating an e'uita!le plat"orm "or
learning and proiding the !est start "or all children2 !y
ensuring that eery Filipino child has access to some
"orm o" ECC( and school readiness programs !e"ore#
UNICEF2 in colla!oration +ith goernment and
non1goernment partners2 supports ECC( initiaties
and participates in promoting parental a+areness and
appreciation o" the alue o" ECC(# UNICEF also
promotes a holistic approach to early learning2
!ringing in many crucial child deelopment processes
such as children%s actie participation through
interactie learning and play2 health2 hygiene2
sanitation2 and oerall +ell1!eing as +ell as teachers%
motiation2 and community support "or children%s sa"e
and secure enironment#
(espite recent goernment e3orts to improe
the policy enironment2 e&pand access and enhance
'uality2 implementation gaps persist and signi4cant
challenges remain# National statistics indicate that
only 58 out o" 600 $rade 6 entrants hae 7indergarten
e&perience# Among the 8 year olds2 +hich is the o9cial
entry age to $rade 62 6:#; per cent are not in school
and 2; per cent are still in preschool#
<esearch sho+s that children +ho don%t start
school at the right age are more li7ely to hae learning
di9culties2 to repeat or drop out# .ost dropouts occur
in $rades 6 and 2 +hich could indicate lac7 o" school
readiness that is !est ensured !y attending 'uality
ECC(#
-he "actors that a3ect participation in early
education include poerty= gender2 ethnicity2 lo+ leel
o" a+areness o" the alue o" early childhood
education= disa!ilities= long distance "rom school=
threats o" dislocation among in"ormal settlers2 and
e&posure to con>ict and natural disasters= and ur!an
challenges#
Action
UNICEF Philippines/2008/Francia
UNICEF supports day care centers +here children?s
learning is stimulated and readied "or primary school#
In line +ith UNICEF%s thrust to "ocus on areas
identi4ed !y $oernment as the most disadantaged2
the Education Program +ill !e implemented in selected
municipalities and cities e&periencing one or
com!inations o" ulnera!ilities2 such as e&treme
ur!an poerty2 con>ict or natural disasters#
-o ensure that e3orts are sustained and scaled
up2 UNICEF +ill +or7 mainly +ith national goernment
agencies in creating an ena!ling ECC( policy and
programme enironment# UNICEF +ill also colla!orate
+ith @$Us to demonstrate e3ectie ECC( serices and
replicate these models# It +ill also +or7 +ith national
and local goernment partners and the donor
community to leerage resources "or 'uality ECC(
serices#
UNICEF%s support +ill !e "ramed !y the ne+
education structureAthe , to62 Program2 +hich is
em!odied in the pac7age o" policy re"orms under the
0asic Education Bector <e"orm Agenda )0EB<A*#
Priority interentions +ill assist $oernment to pursue
an e'uity1"ocused approach to address disparities in
education2 and promote rights1 and 7no+ledge1!ased
education#
UNICEF and its partners +ill deelop a system o"
re"erral and interention starting at the community
leel "or cases o" deelopmental disorders or early
childhood disa!ilities# UNICEF +ill also +or7 on
culture1responsie 7indergarten programs "or
indigenous peoples2 and continue earlier +or7 on
-ahderiyyahs in maCority .uslim communities#
-his +ill address the holistic deelopment o" the
Filipino child and enhance the use o" !oth indigenous
and latest scienti4c innoations# UNICEF +ill also
"ocus on improing the capacity o" the education
system to address maCor !arriers2 scale1up tested and
appropriate innoations2 deelop Coint mechanisms
among 7ey sta7eholders2 and deelop an integrated
school1community monitoring and ealuation systems#
It also see7s to ensure that marginaliDed and
e&cluded young children are ready to learn and enter
school at the right age2 and that marginaliDed and
e&cluded children participate in and complete 'uality
elementary educationA!y "ocusing on deeloping
children%s Ereadiness to learnF in pre1school= Elearning
ho+ to learnF in the early grades= and ma&imiDing
!asic opportunities to learn in the higher grades#
Impact
UNICEF Philippines/2008/Francia
UNICEF proides school pac7s and much1needed !oo7s
"or children#
Early childhood care and development
Increased participation o" G1; year old children in
ECC( serices in nine "ocus areasA.ountain Proince2
.as!ate2 Eastern Bamar2 Northern Bamar2 North
Cota!ato2 Barangani2 (aao City2 .aguindanao and
.anilaAreaching a 8H#5: per cent gross enrolment
rate in 2066#
I Bi& o" nine @$Us hae issued policies increasing
support and inestments "or ECC(#

I Jer H2000 G1; year1old children "rom con>ict1
a3ected 0angsamoro communities are no+ attending
culture1responsie ECC( serices in G6G -ahderiyyahs
)Islamic preschools*#
I UNICEF proided technical inputs to the "ollo+ing
policiesK )a* <#A# 606;5AInstitutionaliDing ,indergarten
),$* education into the !asic education system )2062*=
)!* (epE( Jrder 26 )2066*AImplementing the
Uniersal ,indergarten ,$ Program= )c* (epE( Jrder
2G )2066*2 on the ,indergarten Bummer Program= and
)d* (BL( Administratie Jrder 6;A$uidelines "or
improed accreditation o" day care )early learning*
centers and +or7ers#
I UNICEF initiated adocacy to ensure a coherent
curriculum and solid "oundation "or early learning#
I @$U resources ma&imiDed to e&pand support to
ECC( innoations )home1!ased ECC(2 EECC( on1
horse2F2 EECC( on +heels2F etc#*#
Child-friendly school system
Esta!lished a net+or7 o" child1"riendly models in
;2G00 primary schools and 86 high schools nation+ide
in 2: "ocus areas located in the three main islands o"
@uDon2 Misayas and .indanao#
I Esta!lished the Btudent -rac7ing Bystem )B-B* to
enrich the Bchool1!ased .onitoring and Ealuation
Frame+or7 "or 0EB<A#
I (eeloped tools "or child1"riendly school practices "or
teachers#

I Improed community1school partnerships to adance
child rights#
I Contri!uted to the strengthening o" .adrasah
Education through deelopment o" instructional
materials#
Education in Emergencies
Functional Education in Emergencies Cluster
integrated into the National Emergency Clusters#
I (uring emergencies2 ensure a holistic2 integrated
response through technical assistance2 proision o"
learning supplies and colla!oration +ith sectors such
as Child Protection "or psychosocial support and Later2
Banitation and Nygiene )LABN* "or LABN in schools# In
the con>ict a3ected areas2 help esta!lish learning
institutions )ECC( centers and schools* as Oones o"
Peace#
I Contri!uted to the strengthening the capacity o" the
(epartment o" Education in disaster ris7 reduction
)(<<* and preparedness#
,EP IBBUEB IN PNI@IPPINE E(UCA-IJN
@iteracy rate in the Philippines has improed a lot
oer the last "e+ years1 "rom 52 percent in 6H80
to H: percent in 6HH0# -his is attri!uted to the
increase in !oth the num!er o" schools !uilt and
the leel o" enrollment in these schools#
-he num!er o" schools gre+ rapidly in all three
leels 1 elementary2 secondary2 and tertiary# From
the mid16H80s up to the early 6HH02 there +as an
increase o" ;8 percent in the elementary schools
and G82 percent in the tertiary schools# For the
same period2 enrollment in all three leels also
rose !y 620 percent# .ore than H0 percent o" the
elementary schools and 80 percent o" the
secondary schools are pu!licly o+ned# No+eer2
only 28 percent o" the tertiary schools are pu!licly
o+ned#
A !ig percentage o" tertiary1leel students enroll
in and 4nish commerce and !usiness
management courses# -a!le 6 sho+s the
distri!ution o" courses ta7en2 !ased on Bchool
Pear 6HH016HH6# Note that the di3erence !et+een
the num!er o" enrollees in the commerce and
!usiness courses and in the engineering and
technology courses may !e small 1 2H#2 percent
"or commerce and !usiness and 20#G percent "or
engineering and technology# No+eer2 the gap
+idens in terms o" the num!er o" graduates "or
the said courses#
TABE !: TE"TIA"# E$"%&E$T A$'
("A')ATI%$ B# *IE' %* ST)'#+ S# !,,--
!,,!
*IE' %* ST)'#
E$"%&E$
T
("A')ATI%$
No# Q No# Q
Arts and Bciences 6H82566 6:#8
2H2H8
6
6G#8
-eacher -raining R
Education
2:22828 68#0
G:225
H
6;#;
Engineering R
-echnology
25G2:08 20#G
G22:0
2
6:#5
.edical and Nealth
1 related Programs
65822;2 6G#6
G:288
8
6;#8
Commerce/0usines
s .anagement
GH22H;8 2H#2
5H282
5
G8#6
Agriculture2
Forestry2 Fishery2
and Meterinary
.edicine
:G2:;8 G#2 52GH0 G#G
@a+ 202:0; 6#; 22666 6#0
<eligion / -heology 628H; 0#6 20H 0#6
-J-A@
62G:525
6;
600#
0
22620
:5
600#0
Jn gender distri!ution2 "emale students hae ery
high representation in all three leels# At the
elementary leel2 male and "emale students are
almost e'ually represented# 0ut "emale
enrollment e&ceeds that o" the male at the
secondary and tertiary leels # Also2 !oys hae
higher rates o" "ailures2 dropouts2 and repetition in
!oth elementary and secondary leels#
Aside "rom the num!ers presented a!oe2 +hich
are impressie2 there is also a need to loo7 closely
and resole the "ollo+ing important issuesK
6* quality of education 2*afordability of
education G* goverment budget for education;
and :* education mismatch#
6# .uality 1 -here +as a decline in the
'uality o" the Philippine education2
especially at the elementary and
secondary leels# For e&ample2 the
results o" standard tests conducted
among elementary and high school
students2 as +ell as in the National
College o" Entrance E&amination "or
college students2 +ere +ay !elo+ the
target mean score#
2# A/orda0ility 1 -here is also a !ig
disparity in educational achieements
across social groups# For e&ample2 the
socioeconomically disadantaged
students hae higher dropout rates2
especially in the elementary leel#
And most o" the "reshmen students at
the tertiary leel come "rom relatiely
+ell1o3 "amilies#
G# Budget 1 -he Philippine Constitution
has mandated the goernment to
allocate the highest proportion o" its
!udget to education# No+eer2 the
Philippines still has one o" the lo+est
!udget allocations to education
among the ASEA$ countries#
:# &ismatch 1 -here is a large
proportion o" SmismatchS !et+een
training and actual Co!s# -his is the
maCor pro!lem at the tertiary leel
and it is also the cause o" the
e&istence o" a large group o"
educated unemployed or
underemployed#
The following are some of the
reforms proposed:
6# Upgrade the teachers? salary scale#
-eachers hae !een underpaid= thus
there is ery little incentie "or most
o" them to ta7e up adanced
trainings#
2# Amend the current system o"
!udgeting "or education across
regions2 +hich is !ased on
participation rates and units costs#
-his clearly "aors the more
deeloped regions# -here is a need to
proide more allocation to lagging
regions to narro+ the disparity across
regions#
G# Btop the current practice o"
su!sidiDing state uniersities and
colleges to enhance access# -his may
not !e the !est +ay to promote
e'uity# An e&panded scholarship
program2 giing more "ocus and
priority to the poor2 may!e more
e'uita!le#
:# $et all the leaders in !usiness and
industry to !ecome actiely inoled
in higher education= this is aimed at
addressing the mismatch pro!lem# In
addition2 carry out a selectie
admission policy2 i#e#2 installing
mechanisms to reduce enrollment in
oersu!scri!ed courses and
promoting enrollment in
undersu!scri!ed ones#
;# (eelop a rationaliDed apprenticeship
program +ith heay inputs "rom the
priate sector# Furthermore2 trans"er
the control o" technical training to
industry groups +hich are more
attuned to the needs o" !usiness and
industry