15-year study tracking Filipino youth to inform education policies

MANILA, Philippines — A landmark 15-year study tracking Filipino children from aged 10 to 24 is poised to shape education reform policies as a congressional commission gains access to its findings.

The longitudinal study on Filipino children, launched by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 2016, is now in its eighth year of monitoring Filipino youth through critical development stages.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) signed an agreement with the UNFPA on Tuesday, November 5, to access the research findings. These will guide EDCOM 2's policy recommendations as it concludes its three-year search for solutions to the country's learning crisis. 

"This is a humongous contribution to the work we do for Philippine education," Karol Yee, EDCOM 2 executive director, said in a press release.  

The research documents Filipino children's progress in schooling and health outcomes. It provide rare data-driven insight into the challenges Filipinos face at significant transition points from elementary to their entry into the workforce. 

Some of the data collected in the study pertains to factors affecting student dropout rates, correlation between early education quality and later outcomes, and socioeconomic influences on educational achievement.

The UNFPA study will conclude in 2030. Meanwhile, EDCOM 2 — a temporary body established in 2022 to diagnose the most pressing issues in Philippine education — will wrap up in 2025. 

“As we enter our final year, we are counting on this partnership, on this study to help inform our policy recommendations in reforming our education system. We need partners like you that will sustain data-driven initiatives even when EDCOM is done,” Yee said.

Leila Saiji Joudane, UNFPA Philippines' country representative, stressed the need for policy reform to be based on data. 

“What we need to do so that your education system is reformed, is to diagnose, and prescribe the right solutions,” she said. 

She added that EDCOM 2's mandate, network and expertise will "help us ensure that the findings [of the study] will be translated into impactful policy recommendations, particularly in the area of education—a critical factor in shaping positive youth outcomes."

The Australian government also expressed support for the partnership. 

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has repeatedly vowed to make all DepEd decisions under his leadership data-driven.

The Philippines was again confronted with its laggard status in education following the release of the results of the 2022 cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

The PISA 2022 results show the Philippines still in the bottom 10 worldwide in science, mathematics and reading.