ISSUE 3: Despite of free education, many Filipino youth, particularly those living in remote areas, do not have access to secondary education.

[Barriers to Youth Empowerment and Well-being]

BACKGROUND ON ISSUE 3:
Lack of facilities and poor quality of education

• According to the Youth Attributes, Participation, and Service-Providers (YAPS) study for 2004, there are more school facilities for elementary pupils than for high school, vocational, and college students. The number of schools may be insufficient to accommodate the majority of youth who are expected to still be in school.
• In the 1999 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) conducted among selected Asian countries, (Singapore, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines) the Philippines got the lowest average score in both Math and Science (cited in Herrin, 2003).

Low school completion rates

• Out of 10 school-aged children, only nine enroll in first grade. Only four will finish high school. And only one will finish college.
• 14.7 percent of children and youth aged 6 to 24 were out of school. The lowest incidence of OSY was registered in Cagayan Valley (10.6%), while the highest OSY rate was found in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) at 23.1 percent (NSO 2002 as cited in _____).
• Housekeeping, lack of personal interest, and the high cost of education were the top three reasons given by OSYs for not going to school (1994 FLEMMS).
• There are noteworthy gender differentials when it comes to school completion rates. Among academic degree holders, there were more females (57.9%) than males (24.1%). The same is true for post baccalaureate courses where females outnumbered males (58.2% versus 41.7 %).

SIKAP STAND ON ISSUE 3:

• The education sector must continue to receive the highest budgetary allocation and must pursue the mandate to provide education for all, especially the poor (equity and access).
• The development of secondary schools should be a priority to match the number of enrollees.
• Attention must also be directed to educational quality and relevance to help Filipino youth become globally competitive and land decent jobs. This includes innovation and curriculum review.
• There is a need to encourage non-formal, informal and indigenous learning systems among out-of-school youth.
• Attractive wages and career development opportunities should be instituted to attract the best and brightest persons to the teaching profession.