CBCP calls for immediate action to improve youth education
THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, called for immediate actions to improve the level of education of the Filipino youth.
In a statement, the CBCP said it is imperative for the national and local government, as well as Catholic institutions and organizations to collaborate in improving the learning level of children.
"The children of our nation depend on us to fix the foundations of our struggling educational system. They deserve a brighter future, and only through our immediate commitment and actions can this be realized," said the CBCP.
They urged the national and local governments to prioritize and fully fund programs that improve the nutrition of pregnant women and children aged 0-4, especially by ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for poor and marginalized families.
The CBCP also urged the government to intentionally expand access to early childhood education, thereby ensuring that every child, regardless of economic status, has guaranteed opportunity for early stimulation (ages 0-2) and early education (ages 3-4).
It said it is also imperative for the State to invest in establishing child development centers and early learning opportunities in every barangay, and prioritizing municipalities with low-income communities.
The CBCP also called on all Catholic institutions and organizations to launch comprehensive awareness campaigns about stunting, by refocusing parish feeding programs on the earliest years of childhood.
They also pushed for the establishment of early education programs for children aged 3-4 in parochial schools, where no community daycare/child development center exists.
They said Catholic organizations must also form active partnerships with local governments and community leaders to act together, especially in areas with the highest stunting rates.
The bishops issued the call as they acknowledged the prevailing educational crisis in the country.
Citing the report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II), the bishops lamented how 48 percent of Grade 1 to 3 students are not prepared for their grade level; 80 percent of Grade 3 students struggle with multiplication, division, and geometry; and 30 percent are not functionally literate.
"We reflected together on the serious challenges facing our people and nation. Among the most urgent of these is the crisis in the education of our children. A crisis rooted in severe stunting and malnutrition, low participation in child care and development, and the high number of children who are functionally illiterate," said the CBCP. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)