UNPF says elementary enrolment decline, rise in maternal deaths alarming

The United Nations Population Fund raised its alarm yesterday on the country’s declining enrollment rate in elementary education and big number of maternal deaths as these indicated that the Philippines was far behind its Millennium Development Goals set almost nine years ago by 189 UN member-countries.

UNFPA Country Representative Suneeta Mukherjee said during the Senate Forum on the Role of Legislature in Advancing the MDGs that the net enrollment rate in elementary education was steadily dropping since the school year 2003-2004 at 88.74 percent. In school year 2006-2007, the rate decreased further to 83 percent.

“The figures do not look promising but it is worth mentioning that the situation can still be reversed and it is still possible for the target to be achieved in six years’ time with proper government and private sector interventions and cooperation,” Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee said the more difficult task and which had the “least movement among the eight goals” was the reduction of maternal deaths to a ratio of 52 per 100,000 live births by 2015.

“However, this looks unachievable given current conditions. At present, over 4,000 Filipino mothers die from pregnancy-related complications. That’s an average of 11 maternal death per day. In the early 1990s, (maternal mortality rate) was 209 per 100,000 live births; by 1998 it showed some progress – although very slow – when the number declined to 172,”  Mukherjee said.

“The grim picture is, it almost plateaued from thereon, stagnating at 162 maternal deaths in 2006. In fact, if the slow trend persists, progress might be insufficient to reach our targets,” she noted.

Mukherjee called on the legislators and the government to take action to address these problems on education and maternal deaths.