According to the United Nations Millennium Development Goal, all member nations must comply with the universal primary education requirement where all children should complete a full course of primary schooling by the year 2015. Male and females aged 15-24 should also be literate.
Last February, I visited barangay Lumangan, a rural area in the town of Miagao and interviewed the people there about their education. Based on my interviews, majority of the interviewers (all mothers) have finished high school which means they exceeded the expected level of education based on the millennium development goal. Their children are mostly day care pupils and most probably enroll in elementary education in a nearby school.
As far as the people I interviewed are concerned, money is the primary problem that could probably hinder their kids’ education. But since studying in a public elementary school is inexpensive, it is safe to conclude that this development goal could be achieved by the people there. But what remains to be the real dilemma aside from the financial problems, which people in Lumangan overlooked, is their big number of children. Most interviewees have big family sizes, with children exceeding more than three. Their children also have minimal age gaps, from one to two years. That could be a major problem in the future where their children start schooling at the same time. It is more difficult to send two or more children all at the same time with limited finances. This, among other problems should first be addressed by the people in Lumangan and the local government. The solution? Not just better family planning, but the it will be more easily achieved if the government gives more priority and of course budget on these goals.
Image source: http://web.sau.edu/politicalscience/un.jpg
There should be more subsidy on primary education. Education should not be a previlidge where only those who can afford would be able to attain education. After all, development can be attained with better education.