Students With Dreams

The statistics are alarming.

For every 100 pupils who enter Grade 1, only 86 will go on to Grade 2. For the last 30 years, says the Philippine Development Report, the highest dropout rate in the basic school cycle has occurred this early. By Grade 4, only 76 of the original 100 will still be in school. By Grade 6, only 67 would still be enrolled—and only 65 will graduate from elementary school. Of the 65 who finish grade school, only 58 will move on to high school. And of the 58 who enter high school, only 42 will graduate.

For related article, please click this link http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/component/content/article/86-special-reports/18898-dropouts-our-immense-and-invisible-failure

The main reason for the high-rate of drop-out is due to poverty. Poor families especially those in farming communities tend to pull out their children from school everytime harvest season comes. For some, the upkeep of sending their children to free public school with daily meals, transportations, noteboks and other school related costs are way above their meager incomes.

Juniel, a fifth grader , and Juriel, a third-grader are both sister-students of Bulihan Elementary School. Their father works in a construction and their mother is a stay-at-home mom who takes care of their daily chores. Notwithstanding that our public school tuitions are free, their father’s meager income is just enough to meet their daily needs. But believing the importance of education, their parents are taking all conceivable measures to use their available resources to support not only these intelligent and witty sisters but their big brother (they are 3 children in their family) whom they put their future hope since he will be entering college this school year.

The sisters were both chosen to be one of our MOP’s scholarship recipient for the school year 2010-2011. With the public tuition already free, we opted to provide them with simple bags, complete notebooks and other school supplies to use for the whole year with end-year cash incentives for “above-normal” grade average. Nanay Vivian who went with Juniel and Juriel during the interview and confirmation day was a picture of deep gratitude. It was in her own words “a welcomed relief” in their tightly managed family budget.

We wish you Juniel and Juriel a good and learning school year ahead.

(originally posted on June 13, 2010)