Lack of education causes poverty in the Philippines

For so many people, education is an escape route from poverty in the Philippines.  In places like the Philippines, has clearly not been the case, as millions of Filipinos find the education route blocked and thus the lack of education causes poverty.

In fact, about a quarter of the Filipino population is said to live below the poverty line as of today.

    Philippines is the 13^th most populous country in the world. With English language as its official language even though hundreds of local dialects are spoken across the nation of more than 7500 islands. 

The English language is also regularly taught in schools. Nevertheless, the illiteracy rate in the Philippines according to a 2010 statistics was 97.5% ahead of other ASEAN nations.

     This illiteracy level and the lack of education in the country is a major cause of poverty. And, truth is, since poverty is very rife in the country, education is also difficult to attain. 

It is like a vicious cycle; the lack of education causes poverty, while poverty in return causes more illiteracy and a lack of education. This cycle also shows education can help in the eradication of poverty. While those in poverty can only benefit from education.

Lack of education causes poverty and this is rendering a lot of Filipinos useless.

It is no secret that poverty is the biggest enemy of education on every level. Students from a poor home are bound to fall victim to health issues. The poverty lifestyle limits the youths’ ability to study and learn.

Getting the right education can not only lift people from poverty, but it can also improve their health issues, financial crisis, and change their lives in the process.

Poverty means Basic Needs are not met

An average Filipino child only has one pair of shorts for school. The boys go to school without wearing underwear. In addition, the girls have to make do without basic things such as sanitary pads and refuse to go to school one week a month.

Going to school trying to hide one’s shame or feeling humiliated, does not go well when trying to get an education.

Did we mention the fact that at least 13.7 million Filipino children are undernourished? It would be difficult to properly go to school and receive education when one is not properly feeding well, wouldn’t it?

Teens are at risks of the sex trade.

There is also the risk of being sold, or doing drugs to numb the pain. Filipino kids go through a lot and the government doesn’t seem to be able to solve this problem.  Also, poverty in the Philippines has driven a lot of Philippine women, the teenagers especially, into prostitution.

Poverty doesn’t just affect the children – the teachers’ livelihoods inevitably suffer. Sadly, many teachers are choosing to move abroad, after being tempted by higher salaries. Inevitably, it is the children that suffer.

Lack of education also cause the following:

• Poor health
• Gender inequality
• Lack of skilled labor
• Less productivity
• Poor lifestyle and a lack of opportunity
• A low standard of living
• Unemployment
• Lack of family planning

Causes of lack of education and poverty in the Philippines

The causes of a lack of education in the Philippines are many. The political system in the country is a major factor.

Currently the Philippines is immensely corrupt. Elections are controlled by a small number of families who are in the business of serving themselves rather than the country’s over 100 million people.

In fact, the current president, highly controversial Rodrigo Duterte, who promised to put an end to the suffering of the people, does not offer much hope.

Another cause is the low economic growth. Studies show the increase in population is higher than GDP growth in the country.

While the rise of unmanaged population growth is another serious factor. Since the poor tend to have larger families in the country, access to health services and sex education becomes limited or nonexistent. This eventually leads to more children and the continuation of that cycle.

Natural disasters also play a role in poverty in the Philippines. The development process of the country is said to have been delayed by these natural disasters that have caused US$23billion in damages since 1990.

Typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes are a few of the natural disasters plaguing the country. Death, malnutrition, denial of education and health services are some of the after-effects of these natural disasters. There is also a lack of research on poverty and the effective policies needed to prevent further damage.

This lack of research has caused deficient targeting in poverty programs and unsuccessful current processes and movement forward.

As we have said above, this poverty translates and correlates with the lack of education in the Philippines.

The solution will stop the lack of education causes poverty.

The first thing is to ensure that every child gets proper education until they are at least 18 and then gain a college degree. In the Philippines today, there is no free education. This means that a lot of children from poor families miss out. Because their parents cannot afford to send them all to school, pay for books and supplies, and live without them on the farm.

This also means that, they miss out on lucrative jobs and end up with low-paid or menial jobs which are mostly hard labor.

Next Step Philippines stops the cycle

Although there are a lot of ways to eliminate poverty and the lack of education in the Philippines, Next Step Philippines is one solution everyone can participate in. The Next Step is all about recruiting and rescuing these teenagers. The teens who are being eaten up by malnourishment, hunger, illiteracy, and then giving them the education to stop the endless cycle of poverty.

With the help of sponsors and donors, massive changes can be made. You too can contribute by making a monthly donation. Every contribution made into the Next Step Philippines help a Filipino teenager get the quality education and support; elevating her from the grip of poverty and illiteracy.

Together, we can provide an education for many young adults in the Philippines and with an education these young adults can in return get lucrative paying jobs. We believe that the cycle of poverty in the Philippines can end one person at a time, if we work towards that purpose.

You can save many uneducated Filipinos today by participating and contributing to the next step PH Academy.

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