UN report says RP education lags behind Tanzania, Zambia - Binay

MANILA, Philippines - Makati Mayor and United Opposition (UNO) vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay scored the Arroyo administration’s alleged neglect of education, saying that the latest United Nations (UN) report has placed the Philippine education situation behind Tanzania and Zambia.

In a statement, Binay said the UN’s Global Monitoring Report (GMR) is a damning indictment of President Arroyo’s failure to provide universal education, particularly to children belonging to the marginalized sectors.

The UN report castigated the “absence of a decisive political leadership in the Philippines for the deterioration of education, which it said now lags behind Tanzania and Zambia. Both countries have incomes that are only one-fourth of the Philippines’ income,” Binay said.

He cited that the UN report had said in spite of having an income level higher than other countries, the Philippines under Mrs. Arroyo has had a lower net enrolment, with more than one million children aged 6 to 11 who are out-of-school.

Makati has a high enrolment figure and the city government practically dresses up all pupils and students, providing them with books and bags, uniforms and even feeding them.

The city government has also invested in buildings and classrooms, modern laboratories and facilities. Teachers, on the other hand, are provided additional financial assistance and comprehensive training.

In contrast, schools maintained by the national government are overcrowded and manned by underpaid teachers.

Binay revealed for the current school year, the country lacks 66,881 classrooms but Arroyo only asked for funds to construct 5,538, leaving a balance of 61,343.

“The projected shortage of chairs is 816,291, which is equivalent to 20,407 classrooms filled with students who have to study while standing. This is really a standing room only (SRO) policy unique to the Arroyo administration,” he said.

Binay also disclosed that the projected lack of teachers was 64,060 but the administration asked Congress to appropriate funds to hire only 10,000, for a net shortage of 54,060. It means two million students will have to teach themselves, he added.

Worse, he said, Mrs. Arroyo and her people tried to show that there are enough teachers for everyone by increasing the ratio to one teacher for every 45 students. The result of the monumental and unconscionable neglect of the educational system is that one in six elementary school pupils is out of school, and two of three who are supposed to be in high school are not enrolled,” he argued.

If this is not enough, Binay lamented, the dropout rate for those in school has breached 22 percent.

Only 78 percent of those enrolled in primary and secondary levels graduate, he said. — Sandy Araneta