Curre urren nt Tren rends and Issues in Phili ilippin ppine e Education Unit United ed Nati Nation ons s Inte Intern rnat atio iona nall Child Childre ren n Source: Emergency Fund
-he ECC( program addresses the long1standing conc concer ern n +ith +ith crea creati ting ng an e'ui e'uita ta!le !le plat plat"o "orm rm "or "or learning and proiding the !est start "or all children !y ensuring that eery Filipino child has access to some "orm o" ECC( and school readiness programs !e"ore# !e"ore#
Issue UNICEF UNICEF in colla!ora colla!oration tion +ith goernme goernment nt and non1goer non1goernment nment partners partners supports supports ECC( initiaties initiaties and participates in promoting parental a+areness and appr apprec ecia iati tion on o" the the alu alue e o" ECC( ECC(## UNIC UNICEF EF also also prom promot otes es a holis holisti tic c appr approa oach ch to early early lear learni ning ng !ringing in many crucial child deelopment processes such such as child childre ren% n%s s acti actie e part partic icipa ipati tion on thro throug ugh h inte intera ract ctie ie lear learni ning ng and and play play heal health th hygi hygien ene e sanitation and oerall +ell1!eing as +ell as teachers% motiation and community support "or children%s sa"e and secure enironment#
© UNICEF Philippines/2008/F Philippines/2008/Francia rancia Achieing !asic primary education remains one o" the greatest challenges in the Philippines# UNICEF UNICEF supports supports the Philippine Philippine $oernment $oernment%s %s thrust o" e&panding access to 'uality Early Childhood Car Care and and (ee (eelo lopm pmen entt )ECC )ECC(* (* +hic +hich h incl includ udes es promotin promoting g uniersal uniersal ,indergart ,indergarten# en# -his is meant meant to contri!ute to+ards the achieement o" the education .($s .($s Unie Uniers rsal al Prima Primary ry Educ Educat atio ion n and and $end $ender er E'uality in asic Education#
(espite (espite recent recent goernment goernment e3orts to improe improe the policy enironment e&pand access and enhance 'uality 'uality implementa implementation tion gaps persist persist and signi4cant signi4cant challenge challenges s remain# remain# National National statistic statistics s indicate indicate that only 58 out o" 600 $rade 6 entrants hae 7indergarten e&perience# Among the year olds +hich is the o9cial entry age to $rade 6 6:#; per cent are not in school and 2; per cent are still in preschool# preschool#
o" a+areness o" the alue o" early childhood education= disa!ilities= long distance "rom school= threats o" dislocation among in"ormal settlers 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 $oernment as the most disadantaged the Education Program +ill !e implemented in selected municipalities and cities e&periencing one or com!inations o" ulnera!ilities such as e&treme ur!an poerty con>ict or natural disasters# -o ensure that e3orts are sustained and scaled up UNICEF +ill +or7 mainly +ith national goernment agencies in creating an ena!ling ECC( policy and programme enironment# UNICEF +ill also colla!orate +ith @$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 structurethe , to62 Program +hich is em!odied in the pac7age o" policy re"orms under the asic Education Bector
-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 maor !arriers scale1up tested and appropriate innoations deelop oint mechanisms among 7ey sta7eholders 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 age and that marginaliDed and e&cluded children participate in and complete 'uality elementary education!y "ocusing on deeloping children%s readiness to learn in pre1school= learning ho+ to learn in the early grades= and ma&imiDing !asic opportunities to learn in the higher grades#
Impact
• Increased participation o" G1; year old children in ECC( serices in nine "ocus areas.ountain Proince .as!ate Eastern Bamar Northern Bamar North Cota!ato Barangani (aao City .aguindanao and .anilareaching a H#5: per cent gross enrolment rate in 2066# Bi& o" nine @$Us hae issued policies increasing support and inestments "or ECC(# Jer H000 G1; year1old children "rom con>ict1 a3ected angsamoro communities are no+ attending culture1responsie ECC( serices in G6G -ahderiyyahs )Islamic preschools*# UNICEF proided technical inputs to the "ollo+ing policiesK )a* <#A# 606;5InstitutionaliDing ,indergarten ),$* education into the !asic education system )2062*= )!* (epE( Jrder 26 )2066*Implementing the Uniersal ,indergarten ,$ Program= )c* (epE( Jrder 2G )2066* on the ,indergarten Bummer Program= and )d* (BL( Administratie Jrder 6;$uidelines "or improed accreditation o" day care )early learning* centers and +or7ers# UNICEF initiated adocacy to ensure a coherent curriculum and solid "oundation "or early learning#
© UNICEF Philippines/2008/Francia UNICEF proides school pac7s and much1needed !oo7s "or children#
Early childhood care and development
@$U resources ma&imiDed to e&pand support to ECC( innoations )home1!ased ECC( ECC( on1 horse ECC( on +heels etc#*#
Child-friendly school system
• Esta!lished a net+or7 o" child1"riendly models in ;G00 primary schools and 6 high schools nation+ide in 2: "ocus areas located in the three main islands o" @uDon Misayas and .indanao#
Contri!uted to the strengthening the capacity o" the (epartment o" Education in disaster ris7 reduction )(<<* and preparedness# ,E IBBUEB IN PI@IPPINE E(UCA-IJN
Esta!lished the Btudent -rac7ing Bystem )B-B* to enrich the Bchool1!ased .onitoring and Ealuation Frame+or7 "or EB
Education in Emergencies
• Functional Education in Emergencies Cluster integrated into the National Emergency Clusters# (uring emergencies ensure a holistic integrated response through technical assistance proision o" learning supplies and colla!oration +ith sectors such as Child Protection "or psychosocial support and Later Banitation and ygiene )LAB* "or LAB in schools# In the con>ict a3ected areas help esta!lish learning institutions )ECC( centers and schools* as Oones o" Peace#
@iteracy rate in the Philippines has improed a lot oer the last "e+ years1 "rom 52 percent in 6H0 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 elementary secondary and tertiary# From the mid16H0s up to the early 6HH0 there +as an increase o" ;8 percent in the elementary schools and G2 percent in the tertiary schools# For the same period enrollment in all three leels also rose !y 620 percent# .ore than H0 percent o" the elementary schools and 0 percent o" the secondary schools are pu!licly o+ned# o+eer 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 ta7en !ased on Bchool ear 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# o+eer 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$"%&E$ ("A')ATI%$ T No#
Q
Arts and Bciences 6H566 6:#
No#
Q
2HH 6
6G#
-eacher -raining R G:25 2:2828 68#0 Education H
6;#;
Engineering R -echnology
G2:0 2
6:#5
.edical and ealth G:8 652;2 6G#6 1 related Programs 8
6;#8
Commerce/usines 5H82 GH2H;8 2H#2 s .anagement 5
G#6
25G:08 20#G
Agriculture Forestry Fishery and Meterinary .edicine
:G:;8
G#2 5GH0
G#G
@a+
20:0;
6#; 2666
6#0
0#6
0#6
6H;
20H
-J-A@
6G:55 600# 2260 6; 0 :5
600#0
Jn gender distri!ution "emale students hae ery high representation in all three leels# At the elementary leel male and "emale students are almost e'ually represented# ut "emale enrollment e&ceeds that o" the male at the secondary and tertiary leels # Also !oys hae higher rates o" "ailures dropouts and repetition in !oth elementary and secondary leels# Aside "rom the num!ers presented a!oe +hich are impressie there is also a need to loo7 closely and resole the "ollo+ing important issuesK 6* quality of education 2*aordability of education G* goverment budget for education; and :* education mismatch# 6# .uality 1 -here +as a decline in the 'uality o" the Philippine education especially at the elementary and secondary leels# For e&le the results o" standard tests conducted among elementary and high school students as +ell as in the National College o" Entrance E&amination "or college students +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&le the socioeconomically disadantaged
students hae higher dropout rates 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# o+eer 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 o!s# -his is the maor 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 regions +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 program giing more "ocus and priority to the poor 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 addition carry out a selectie admission policy i#e# 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# Furthermore trans"er the control o" technical training to industry groups +hich are more attuned to the needs o" !usiness and industry
