Wednesday, July 16, 2008 Editorials: Poverty and education
WHETHER we like it or not, the revelation that government is unable to provide education to a great majority of children is a sad commentary not only on government officials but on inhabitants who have the resources to lend assistance but do not.
According to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), one of every six school-age kids is being deprived of primary education, a rather harsh circumstance to the first English-speaking Asian nation.
The naked and painful implication of the condition means our republic “is far from its goal of providing education to all.”
Five years earlier, the percentage of primary school-age children enrolled was 90 percent.
But this year, according to the NSCB study, the enrolled primary school-age children was down to 83 percent, implying that about 17 percent of our school-age young ones are not in school.
The situation is even worse at the secondary level where, in the past five years, only 59 percent of Filipino youth of high school age enrolled despite the fact that secondary education in public schools is free.
Poverty
The reason cited is poverty, the inability of parents to provide the other extraneous needs of the students beyond tuition which is free.
Note that the President had earlier ordered that students may not be required to wear uniforms and various school contributions may not be collected.
The rationale behind the twin policies is the rising cost of living.
However, the Department of Education has reportedly gone into special programs like feeding and alternative learning systems.
The NSBC pointed out that the failure of the government to provide education to its children of school age has kept it off track of the targeted objective under Millennium Development Goals that calls for all Filipino children “to have access to basic education by 2015.”
The latest number of out-of-secondary school youth, however, was reportedly “slightly better than the 41.5 percent in school year 2005-2006.”
Challenge
Thus, under the present national education condition, where poverty is being collectively pointed to with accusing fingers by our national leaders as the overall cause, combating poverty has taken the forefront of the national dilemma.
It has grown to a gargantuan challenge to our national leaders, regardless of what political persuasion he may have, or what religious faith he may subscribe to.
