By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)
February 20, 2013 - 12:00am
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.
It is good to know that there are people who think of the welfare of our future generations. It’s nice to think that even those foreign people are concern of the education of our children and give importance to our basic education.
TumugonBurahin