Angara renews call to improve childhood education

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Edgardo Angara yesterday renewed his call to improve the country’s early childhood education system, saying investment in early education is the most cost-effective way to reduce poverty and advance economic growth.

He said investments in early childhood education are more economical than government intervention programs for adults.  

“That (childhood) is when we learn our most vital lessons. There, bonds are formed and lasting ties are cemented. They say there is nothing more sacred than a child’s trust,” said Angara, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee.                

He said children who attend preschool are less aggressive and less prone to violence. They also score 27 percent higher on a standard math test compared to children who did not attend preschool. Preschool education, he said, also boosts a child’s cognitive, language, and social development. Citing foreign research on the benefits of preschool education, Angara said the Syracuse Family Development Research Program, which provided family development support for children from prenatal care to age five, produced children with less involvement in criminal offenses.                                                                                           

An evaluation of the Infant Health Development Program (IHDP), which provides preschool education to the poor, showed that children exposed to primary education develop higher IQ.

To augment the country’s education budget for 2010 which amounts to P185.5 billion, Angara also filed in the Senate the Children’s Health Insurance Program or CHIP, which is a healthcare system specifically designed for children. He said that illness takes children away from classrooms and CHIP works to prevent this.