Unicef: Six out of 10 Pinoy children cannot afford early childhood education

Six out of 10 Filipino children cannot afford early childhood education and one out of five barangays in the country do not even have preschool programs, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report.

The UNICEF believes these statistics reflect a problem that the government must address if it wants to produce bright children who will grow up to be the country’s future leaders and citizens.

The fact that the highest dropout and repetition rates occur in the first grade is a "clear indication of poor school readiness and inadequate preparation for learning," the report said.

UNICEF representative for the Philippines Dr. Nicholas Alipui said his organization, which is dedicated to the protection and development of children worldwide, wants to contribute to the solution of the problem through its project SparkHope.

The project, a partnership between the UNICEF and Rustan Coffee Corp. (RCC), has been giving young children in nine barangays across the country the chance to enjoy "appropriate early care and stimulation."

Alipui said focusing on the early years of childhood is a "simple yet effective way to better the chances of a child’s success in school, at work and in life."

"Ninety-eight percent of a person’s brain development occurs in the first few years of life," he explained.

Last Monday, RCC, the exclusive licensee of Starbucks Coffee in the country, turned over P2 million for SparkHope.

UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy, who is in the country for the 112th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) assembly, received the donation in a simple ceremony at the flagship Starbucks store in 6750 Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

Also present was pop superstar and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Gary Valenciano.

RCC Director for Operations Angelo Cole also handed over a two-foot-tall Starbucks cup symbolizing all the money that had been raised so far for the project.

"I’m excited to see how our innovative SparkHope partnership with Starbucks in the Philippines has brought in results for children in just a few short months," Bellamy said. "The concept of retail stores and customers adopting rural villages is quite innovative."

UNICEF hopes to inspire the Philippine government to do more to help give Filipino children brighter futures by solving the problem of poverty, which has been identified as the main reason why parents can’t keep their children in school.