The contribution of basic education to development is not, however confined to economic progress. Education has intrinsic importance; the capability to read and write can deeply influence one’s quality of life. – Amartya Sen, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics

Apart from being a basic human right, education is a way out of poverty. Knowledge and skills increase productivity, enhance the opportunity of an individual to gain employment, and earn income. Education can save a child’s life. “Having a mother with primary education reduces child death rates by almost half in the Philippines .

Although numerous studies have shown that education provides innumerable benefits for families and national economies, the state of Philippine education leaves much to be desired. The educational system is as dismal as ever regardless of “diagnosis, prognosis and reform initiatives.” The system is fraught with eighty-year-old problems : low pupil performance, high dropout rates, poor teacher quality, excessive centralization, inappropriate language of learning, irrelevant learning materials and inadequate financial resources.

The inability of the country to successfully provide every Filipino child with access and success in education is the theme of this paper. It presents the key problems in the education system and highlights the major changes that need to be introduced.

Continue reading the MGG Policy Paper on Education (Second Draft).

View the compilation of the presidential candidates’ platforms on education.