PHILIPPINES Philippines, 11 million children and young people without access to school

Data emerging from a study by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) records a higher incidence in the south, especially in Bangsamoro. 51.3% are men and 48.7% women. The contribution of the Church through educational centers and institutions, to promote labor insertion.

Manila () – At least 11 million children and young people in the Philippines do not receive basic education, in a context of denial of the right to education and access to school, which is more evident in the south, especially in the Bangsamoro autonomous region. A report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), a government agency based in Manila, offers in figures a picture of the emergency situation that affects even the university level. Approximately 10.7 million (equivalent to 25%) out of a total of 42.8 million families with children and young people (Oscy) between the ages of five and 24 do not attend school.

The 2020 population and housing census was used to compile the statistics. Of the 10.7 million Oscys, 51.3% are men and 48.7% are women. In terms of age, the vast majority of Oscys, i.e. 68.5%, are in the age group between 20 and 24 years. Next, the age group between five and nine years old represents 12.3%, while the age group between 15 and 19 years takes second place with 15.6%. Finally, there is 3.7% who are between 10 and 14 years old.

As for the figures, there are currently 32.07 million people between five and 24 years old who are enrolled in school and are enrolled in an educational program. Of them, 51.4% of the total are men and 48.6% are women. According to PSA data, the Bicol region has the highest percentage of school attendance at 78.8%. On the contrary, with “only” 64.5%, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, in Muslim Mindanao, in the south of the Philippine archipelago, has the lowest school attendance rate.

In addition to the government, many groups in the private sector, civil society and religious organizations such as the Catholic Church and its thousands of institutions, organizations and communities throughout the country, are encouraging and helping people to become literate. The objective of these groups and entities is to encourage the completion of the school year, especially those who come from marginalized areas and from less protected and vulnerable families.

Faced with a situation of increasing difficulty, the Church responds through the numerous centers or institutes that it manages or supports, contributing to the informal learning of students and young people and helping them complete university training when necessary. The objective is to promote insertion into the world of work and find a decent job in society, to earn a living and contribute to the construction of the nation. Throughout the archipelago there are thousands of Catholic or Church-linked educational institutions.

Father Benigno P. Beltrán, priest of the Divine Word, is one of the people who has worked tirelessly to help students and young people who have dropped out of school to continue their studies. The priest ran an “Alternative Learning System” (ALS), based on non-formal, out-of-classroom education, which is community-based and generally carried out in community learning centers and recognized by the Department of Education . With his “Sandiwaan Center for Learning at Smokey Mountain” Father Beltrán helps students and young people who have dropped out of school to continue their studies.

(Photo taken from Asian Development Bank website)