$18 M allocated for early childhood education

MANILA, Philippines - The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has allocated some $18 million (about P731 million) for a three-year project to improve early childhood education in 36 “vulnerable areas” in the Philippines.

Australian Ambassador Bill Tweddell and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) led yesterday the launching of “Early Learning for Life” in Quezon City.

The program seeks to improve the education of 150,000 disadvantaged children aged 3 to 5 years old nationwide.

The Unicef identified as vulnerable the areas of Camarines Norte, Masbate, Northern Samar, Sulu, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Sarangani, and the cities of Quezon, Davao, Cotabato, Puerto Princesa, Pasay and Zamboanga.

Unicef said the program will be implemented from 2013 to 2015.

It will reach out to the most disadvantaged children, especially those in war-torn and disaster-prone areas, as well as in highly urbanized cities vulnerable to natural hazards.

Speaking at the project launch at the SEAMEO-Innotech in Quezon City, Tweddell said access to quality education improves one’s opportunities in life and helps people overcome poverty.

“Improving the quality of basic education is a priority for Australia’s development program in the Philippines,”  he said.

Fifty percent of a person’s ability to learn is developed in the first few years of life, according to Unicef country representative Tomoo Hozumi.

Government data showed that 78 out of 100 Grade 1 entrants in the Philippines have kindergarten experience.

Ma. Lourdes de Vera-Mateo, Unicef-Philippines Education Section chief, said the program will cover intensive trainings of daycare workers/teachers on early childhood care and development, provision of appropriate learning materials, and provision of clean water and sanitation services.

The program will also help supervise alternative learning like neighborhood play in cooperation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, she added.

By the end of 2015, the project will contribute to the improvement of the school readiness of 3- to 5-year-old boys and girls, Hozumi said.

It also aims to help the Philippine government achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goal on quality basic education for all.

Teresita Inciong, Early Childhood Care and Development Council chair, said investing in early childhood is also investing for the future of the Philippines.

The project will help reduce the number of dropouts in the country, she added.

Elaine Ward, counselor at AusAID, said the program aims to help the Philippines meet international standards on basic education.

“This project is only a component of (AusAID’s) bigger education program in the Philippines,” she said.

For 2012 to 2013, AusAID assistance to the Philippines has reached P5.5 billion.

Of this amount, P1.2 billion has been allocated for the improvement of basic education.