Due to the sustained implementation of education reforms, the Philippines is steadily moving towards meeting the Education for All (EFA) goal by 2015, the deadline set by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The six EFA goals which the Philippines has committed itself include expanding early childhood care and education; providing free and compulsory education for all; providing learning and life skill to young people and adults; increasing adult literacy by 50 percent; achieving gender equality by 2015, and improving the quality of education.
The Philippines has been making sustained progress in education in the last few years. After a temporary decline, the Philippines has potted modest but consistent gains since 2006. The indicators include the results of the 2009 National Achievement Test given to public elementary and high school students that showed a continuing upward result – from 55 percent mean percentage score in 2006 to 66 percent in 2009. Moreover, more students are moving towards mastery and there has been substantial drop in the number of students showing low subject mastery.
To increase enrollment and retention in school, the education department has also strictly implemented the “no collection” and “no mandatory uniform policy” which encouraged more parents to send their children to school. This directive has resulted in an increase in participation rate of 82.12 percent in school year 2008, up by almost two percent compared to 2006. Despite the economic constraints, children continued schooling as evidenced by the 6 percent dropout rate in elementary and 7 percent in secondary.
Some of the measures taken to address drop-outs include Project Reach which enlists the help of local government units in finding the school children, reaching out to them, and keeping them in school. Other schemes which provide learners with an array of alternative delivery modes of learning for them to complete elementary and high school are Drop-Out Reduction Program (DORP), MISOSA or Modified In-School and Off-School Approach and IMPACT or Instructional Management by Parents Community and Teachers.
Another intervention that has improved school retention is the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as a centerpiece of the government’s poverty reduction measure. This conditional cash grants are provided to extremely poor household to improve their health, nutrition, and education.
Other programs currently being implemented by the government under its poverty reduction thrusts which have direct impact on health and education are the Food for School and Essential Health Care Package which was recently recognized internationally.
The Department of Education continues to take the initiatives to meet the Education for All goals the government has committed to, efforts that are certain to benefit the school age population and prepare them to meet the challenges of the global knowledge economy.
source: Manila Bulletin
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