Education
Quality and inclusive lifelong learning
Challenges
Despite being a middle-income country with sufficient resources to support children’s education, many Filipino children miss out on opportunities to learn. The number of children accessing education, the quality of education they receive, and the condition of their learning environment are causes for concern.
Only half of children 3 to 4 years old are enrolled in day care, and only 78 per cent complete basic education.
Many schools do not have toilets and clean water. The number of children out of school has reached 2.8 million.
Because of low investment over the past decade, outdated teaching methods and limited attention to the development of children’s social and emotional skills, Filipino children lag behind. This situation is worse for vulnerable children, including indigenous children and children living with disabilities.
Solutions
To fulfil a child’s right to quality and inclusive lifelong learning, UNICEF works with the Philippine government and partners to ensure that children are ready for school and schools are ready for children.
Our aim is to increase access to formal and non-formal learning opportunities for children and adolescents by strengthening the government's capacity to improve the quality and relevance of teaching and the learning environment.
UNICEF envisions schools to be a place of convergence of services and programs for children, including nutrition, disaster risk reduction, and water, sanitation & hygiene.
It is essential that every Filipino child, whatever their circumstance, has access to learning that offers a quality, inclusive and relevant curriculum.
UNICEF advocates for greater investment in the country’s cognitive capital. With skilled teachers, engaging educational materials, basic toilets, clean water and hygiene facilities, children can acquire knowledge and socio-emotional skills they need to thrive.