By Leslie D. Venzon
MANILA, June 8 (PNA) — Malacanang is optimistic that the number of out-of-school children in the country will further decline due to various government initiatives, including the administration’s flagship anti-poverty program.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda cited a report released by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) showing that the proportion of out-of-school children to the total number of children in the Philippines declined significantly from 11.7 percent in 2008 to 5.21 percent in 2012.
The report indicated that this downward trend would likely continue as a result of various government initiatives, including the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and the Department of Education’s (DepEd) decision to make kindergarten mandatory for all incoming primary school students.
The 4Ps is a human development measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants to the poorest of the poor to improve the health, nutrition and the education of children aged zero to 18.
“We are glad that attention is being given to this encouraging report, as it highlights the dividends of the government’s investment in the Filipino people,” Lacierda said in a Palace press briefing on Monday.
These are the key findings Philippine Country Study on Out-of-School Children conducted in line with the UNICEF/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children. (PNA)