The Philippines was granted independence by the United States in 1946. In the Postcolony modern world, the country is still struggling to compete in the modern economy, particularly with regards to its education system.

World Bank statistics placed the Philippines in the bottom 10 percent of all educated countries in 2013. A report put out this year by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization has shed light on the challenges currently faced by the Philippines.

UNESCO’s latest report shows that the Filipino Government is complying with UNESCO and implementing the necessary reforms to raise the standard of education in its country. However, the Filipino Government is still struggling to raise the standards of education in the country.

In particular, the safety of students is of the foremost concern to UNESCO. This year, the Anti-Bullying Act addresses the issue of students’ safety. The Filipino Government has implemented several key pieces of legislation addressing issues that have been affecting education.

As part of the Philippines Development Plan put out by UNESCO, the Philippines’ Department of Education will make it mandatory for everyone to complete basic education, and the Philippines have made great progress in this respect.

The World Bank has reported that in 2013, the participation for 6- to 11-year-olds was at 95.24 percent, which marked a significant increase since 2005.

In the same report, overall enrollment improved from 13 million to 14.4 million that year. The Philippines has made significant progress in improving the condition of education in the country. Despite a great deal of progress the Philippines has made, 42 percent of the country still remains below the poverty line making roughly $2 a day.

UNESCO and USAID are working with the Philippine Government to improve the conditions of education. USAID reports an average 7 percent growth in education and attributes this to the weak government in the region. UNESCO attributes the challenges in education to internal conflict and is working to broker a lasting peace in the region.

The Philippines Development Plan laid out the goal for 2011 to 2016, and with one year left, only time will tell if the Philippines will meet its goal.

– Robert Cross

Sources: Asian Scientist, ICEF Monitor, UNESDOC, USAID, USAID Reform Efforts, World Bank
Photo: Google Images