Written by: Mehek C.
Visual by: Miki L.
In the Philippines, lack of quality education has always been an issue, but in recent years we are seeing a growing gap between the quality education of those in rural areas and those in urban areas. Although public education is free, there are many obstacles standing in the way for students living in rural Philippines to receive the quality education they deserve. These obstacles prohibit the majority of children living in rural areas from receiving a proper schooling, affecting their future opportunities and possibilities.
The big reason that many children in rural areas do not attend school is due to large expenses, despite the fact that public school is free. With many average sized families (5 members) having a budget of less than 150 pesos (around$3.00) per day, it is challenging for a family to afford necessities like transportation to and from schools which can be several kilometers away in harsh conditions, uniforms, supplies for classes or projects, and even food for the studying student. All of these conditions and expenses can be too much for families, forcing them to pull their child out of school. Furthermore, with such low household income, it is expected that all members make some contribution to help make ends meet. This means children must take whatever jobs they can get for extremely low wages, like street vending or working for shops or farms. Since these jobs take time and effort, more often than not the student’s academics struggle, with some kids missing as much as two to three months of the school year. They then have to repeat the grade, only to be pulled out once again. The students have to continue to work more and more to support their families until eventually they do not have the time to go to school at all and drop out in order to support their family.
Even though some children do go to school, the quality of education in rural areas is very poor, leaving many of these kids to be extremely disadvantaged. In the Philippines, public education is funded by the government through national/local taxes among other forms of government revenue. While the money raised in urban areas such as NCR(National Capital Region) is quite high thanks to a more advanced economy in tertiary(service) and secondary(manufacturing) sectors, in rural areas of the Philippines, agriculture or the primary sector(agriculture) of the economy is where most of the workforce is concentrated, which makes a significantly smaller amount of money. This means that the money raised by taxes in rural areas by local governments is going to be much smaller, and therefore lower amounts of funding can go into public education. The World Bank found this to be true with the NCR spending around 3,500 pesos per student, and rural areas only able to spend 800 pesos or less per student. So thanks to impoverished local governments, the lackluster funding going towards these public schools makes the infrastructure and the faculty in these schools to be of very low quality. Students will have limited or no access to learning tools that students in other areas have better access to such as properly equipped classrooms, computers, labs, playgrounds and other resources. Small amount of funding also means that the teachers hired are often not qualified and are unable to properly teach students. Poor quality education in public schools in rural areas means that for the limited few who can afford to go to school, they still do not receive a proper quality education.
Going to school is important for a variety of reasons, but a big reason is because it allows students to escape the cycle of poverty. If they stick through school, they are more likely to get a higher paying job as an adult and leave poverty behind them, but if these children don’t finish school, they are most likely going to continue working these low paying jobs all of their lives and have their future families also be born into this cycle of poverty. Along with important knowledge, school also provides students with a number of important skills that will help them succeed in the real world such as critical thinking, building relationships, and leadership skills. While general knowledge is important to some degree, these skills provide an important foundation for students that will help them be more successful in their future endeavors. Overall, it is essential that quality of education is increased in rural areas not only to help individuals and families escape the cycle of poverty, but also to help provide individuals with important foundations and skills.
Works Cited
“Assessing the Role Played by Local Government in Supporting Basic Education in the Philippines.” 2016, doi:10.1596/24747
Mapa, Dennis S. “The 30 pesos per day man and woman: The extremely poor and its implications to the social protection programs” University of the Philippines Diliman, 25 October 2016
https://www.bsp.gov.ph/Pages/ABOUT%20THE%20BANK/Events/By%20Year/2016/BSP-UP%20Professorial%20Chair%20Lecture%20Series/BSP_3b_mapa_presentation.pdf.
“The Problem of Rural Education in the Philippines.” Josh Weinstein, 28 Aug. 2012, joshweinstein.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/the-problem-of-education-in-the-philippines/.
Sardana, Sachin. “Bringing down the Barriers.” The Hindu, The Hindu, 14 July 2021, www.thehindu.com/education/what-are-the-challenges-of-education-in-rural-india-and-how-technology-can-help-overcome-them/article35316970.ece.