Every children practice different rights. The right of education is a basic human right that everyone should have. Free education is provided by our government at different levels to achieve education for all. Education should be affordable to all, with proper facilities, textbooks and supplies provided to students at no additional costs. Our government also provides free and compulsory primary and secondary education accessible to all. Free higher education usually comes to students in the form of scholarships and grants. Alternative Learning System (ALS) program shall be intensified for individuals who have not completed primary education. (more…)

Some people believe that the teachers’ primary role is to teach children to behave and to judge what is right and wrong. But on the other hand, teachers play the role of second parents to the pupils. It is they who correct the pupils if something went wrong like what they do on their own children. The teachers also play significant role in shaping the life of the pupils under their care.

Talking to a pupil can help a teacher understand a pupil’s life situation better. Some of them are from a broken family, while others don’t have parents and live with immediate relatives. Sometimes they are experiencing problems and difficulties in school and the teacher as a second parent will decide to have a home visit to somehow solve the problem. Home visitation also helps teachers to understand why pupils behave in different ways. There are circumstances that some pupils are voluntarily sharing their problem at home to their teacher. Teacher as a second parent will support their pupils by giving proper guidance. Once a pupil feels that the teacher appreciates what they do, they will trust their teacher more. Pupils spend quality time in school than in home. We need to make pupils to feel that they are safe enough and never let fear be your image but love. In return, pupils should give respect to their teachers through disciplined behavior and putting in good efforts in their studies; pupils can attain success in their life and also make their parents and teachers proud of their success.

1. Poverty – Pupils living at or below poverty level tend to have the highest dropout rates. Poverty also causes pupil’s absenteeism and forces them to work and earn a living to sustain their daily needs. Pupils who do not get enough food or sleep are less likely to perform at their full academic potential in school.
2. Family Factors – Issues at home has an impact on pupil’s academic performance. Issues like annulled/divorced parents, single parents, poverty, and violence are challenges that a pupil bring to school.
3. Technology – Pupil’s love of technology like I pad, laptop, computer and other gadgets also tends to distract pupils from school work. It is difficult for the teachers to keep pupils interest and attention to properly teach new concept without using technologies. Teachers are engaged in Computer Literacy Training Program to bring education and technology together to attain quality education.
4. Bullying – Some pupils experience different types of bullying in school. It can be physical or verbal bullying. It is not a new problem but it is one that has a strong impact on the learning of many pupils today. Bullying also affects pupil’s sense of security, health and sometimes victims are suffered from depression. They also experience psychological distress and can’t concentrate on schoolwork.
5. Parent Involvement – Some parents won’t be seen for the whole school year, no matter what problems about their children might encounter. Lack of parent’s involvement in school was one of the most serious school problems because they don’t even monitor their child’s situation/problem in school.
6. Pupils attitudes – Disrespect for teachers is the one of a major problem facing schools today. Issues like absenteeism, tardiness, and disrespect were seen more frequently on higher level than in primary level. It is the right time for the principals, teachers, parents to work together to find solution for the benefits of all pupils.
7. School distance from Home – Being late or number of absenteeism caused by far distance of home from school. Some leave in far distant hills or mountains and took several hours walking or riding a bicycle or motorcycle. Some needs to ride a boat or trek a cliff and river.
8. Hygiene and Nutrition – you will notice the student in poor nutrition is inactive in school activities even in discussions. Some of them finished the day just sitting and listening without any participations. Lack of personal hygiene even it was taught in the school. Parents should always consider it as their daily routine for their children before coming to school.
9. School Supplies and Resources – being in a modern technology of teachings and many new gadgets and equipment invented still many of public school are not evenly received or distributed. Some still doing the old style one book for two or three students. A common chair for two person but three, a share room with blackboard in the middle as a division.
10. Teachers and Pupils Ratio – A big size of 55 students in one teacher do you think a perfect ratio for a good quality of education? A teacher cannot accommodate the inquiry or questions of the students in this size. You cannot even hear the voice of the teacher at the back row and the focuses of discussion was not equally heard and understand. In some case blurred visions and with hearing impaired should be given a sit in the front.

The enjoyment of the right to education is not fully realized for most indigenous peoples. The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples says that without access to quality education indigenous communities will not be able to fully enjoy their rights. The Expert Mechanism is a group of five independent specialists who provide expertise on the rights of indigenous peoples to the Human Rights Council.

In their report to the Council on the right of indigenous peoples to education the experts say, “Deprivation of access to quality education is a major factor contributing to social marginalization, poverty and dispossession of indigenous peoples”.

The report makes the case that designing education programs for indigenous communities must take into account many factors that acknowledge the special needs of these communities. Indigenous students cannot be forced into mainstream education systems which do not integrate indigenous culture, it says.

An approach using a single model is inappropriate because of the diversity of indigenous peoples.

Promoting “indigenous perspectives, innovations and practices in an environment that replicates traditional ways of learning” is another interest of the Expert Mechanism. This includes having mother-tongue based bilingual and multilingual education at the primary as well as at higher levels. Indigenous languages should be integrated into the teaching programs. The report proposes that community members be trained as language teachers and the development of indigenous literacy material. (more…)

Abot-Alam is a convergence program under the Cabinet’s Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster (HDPRC) that envisions a Zero OSY Philippines. Through the collective effort of national government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, the private sector, and community-based groups, Abot-Alam aims to map out all country’s out-of-school youth aged 15 to 30 and match them with appropriate government or civil society programs that will give them opportunities for education, employment, and entrepreneurship.

The success of Abot-Alam will depend on four things: a comprehensive database on the out-of-school youth generated on the community level which contains specific individual information such as names, birthdates, addresses, highest educational attainment, reasons for being out of school, etc.; a wide range of programs that will respond to the diverse of the out-of-school youth, programs that can be tweaked or modified to make them more appropriate, responsive and accessible to the OSY; a multi-sectoral alliance on the local level consisting of the local government, barangay leaders, DepEd, other government agencies, civil society organizations, civic groups, companies and business associations, and community-based groups that agree to work together to map out all the OSYs in their area and pool their resources and programs together to address the needs of the OSYs; and the participation of the ordinary citizen, who adopts as his/her personal mission the task of ensuring that at least one OSY gets access to this opportunity being provided by Abot-Alam. (more…)