The education sector is pushing the government to prioritize early childhood investments to address nationwide learning gaps ahead of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s fifth State of the Nation Address.
Education stakeholders believe that the solution to Philippine education issues must begin in early childhood. This is according to PHINMA Education Holdings, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer, who emphasized the need for the government to make evidence-based decisions.
Stunting is a major public health concern in early childhood development in the Philippines, with the latest findings showing a stunting rate of 25.3% among children aged 0 to 59 months. This rate is significantly higher in rural areas, reaching 27.8%, compared to 23.2% in urban areas.
The highest stunting prevalence was recorded in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao at 36.0%, followed by the Zamboanga Peninsula at 34.6%, the Negros Island Region at 30.9%, and MIMAROPA at 30.3%. Beyond its physical health toll, malnutrition at a young age is also linked to poor literacy rates, numeracy, and overall learning achievement.
According to experts, stunting severely impairs cognitive development, language acquisition, and readiness to learn. To address this issue, education stakeholders are urging the government to invest in early childhood development, focusing on fixed assistance to ensure proper nutrition for children.
Proper nutrition can have a significant impact on a child's learning abilities, with many experts believing that if children are properly nourished and can read at grade one or kinder, many of the solutions to poor learning outcomes will have been solved.
PHINMA Education is also advocating for the expansion of voucher programs in private schools to create better opportunities for underprivileged students. This initiative aims to provide children with access to quality education in private schools, rather than being limited to government-owned schools.
By combining voucher programs with access to quality private schools, education stakeholders believe that this will go a long way in improving the quality of education in the Philippines.
