THE PROPORTION of out-of-school children (OOSC) to the total number of kids in the Philippines "dropped significantly” from 2008 to 2012, an improvement helped by government initiatives that include making kindergarten education mandatory.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin S. Lacierda made this announcement in a Monday press briefing in Malacañang, citing findings of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) regarding out of school children.
"The report states that the proportion of out-of-school children to the total number of children in the Philippines dropped significantly from 11.7% in 2008 to 5.21% in 2012,” Mr. Lacierda said, citing data from the Philippine Country Study on OOSC. The study was conducted in line with the UNICEF/UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Global Initiative on OOSC.
"The report adds that this downward trend will likely continue, as a result of various government initiatives,” Mr. Lacierda said.
These measures include the Department of Education’s (DepEd) decision to make kindergarten mandatory and the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), among others, the Palace official noted. The 4Ps gives poor families cash in exchange for keeping their kids in school and ensuring that they visit doctors regularly.
A policy note posted on the PIDS Web site, said that the "sharpest” decline took place between 2011 and 2012 when DepEd officially made kindergarten mandatory.
"This meant that all students attending Grade 1 by 2013 should have at least one year of preschool experience, leveling off expectations of teachers regarding aptitudes and abilities when primary school begins,” it said. --
