The Lagman-Prouty Foundation
ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Overview
The Philippines is an island nation in Southeast Asia consisting of an archipelago of 7,000 islands. With more than 99 million inhabitants, the Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world. It has also become a true melting pot of ethnicities and cultures from Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. Ruled by Spain for more than 400 years and then governed by the United States for 40 years, including a 10-year period as a U.S. Commonwealth, the Philippines reflects these influences in everything from its religion, customs, and cuisine to its government and educational structure. As such, although there are 171 local dialects, Filipino (also known as Tagalog) and English are the country’s two official languages and both are used in government, education, media, and business.
Economy
As a relatively newly industrialized nation, the economy of the Philippines has been hampered by national debt, government corruption, coup attempts, communist insurgency, and natural disasters. High inflation and high unemployment have widened the gap between the classes. According to the United Nations Development Programme, 45% of the population has a daily income of less than $2.
Education
While the wealthy can afford to educate their children at one of the country's many excellent private schools or send them to schools abroad, the vast majority of the population must rely on a public school system that is under-financed and over-burdened. In addition, many children do not even have the opportunity to attend school because they need to work or beg to supplement their family’s income. Hunger and malnutrition are also barriers to regular school attendance. Only 80% of elementary-age children attend school. By high school, this statistic drops to 50%. And although Filipinos are known around the world as a well-educated work force, only 20% of its population attend colleges or universities.
The deteriorating and inadequate infrastructure of the Philippine educational system has been increasingly criticized and cited for its role in the country’s difficulty competing with other Asian economies. Classrooms are overcrowded, with many exceeding 60 students per class. Many schools have resorted to splitting students into two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, to accommodate the overpopulation. This means shorter classroom time, less student-teacher interaction, and heavier teaching loads for underpaid teachers. There is such a severe shortage of desks, chairs, blackboards, and textbooks that teachers are often expected to source them themselves. It is no wonder that public school teachers are in short supply as they are naturally lured away by higher-paying positions at private schools, in the service industry, or oversees.
But There is Hope
This is not a reflection, however, on the quality or dedication of the teachers that remain in the public school system. Having been fortunate enough to have met and worked with several of these educators, I have been impressed by their talent, motivated by their enthusiasm, and humbled by their commitment. They lead by example. Pursuing masters and doctorate degrees, they are demonstrating to their students that education and hard work are the keys to better futures. They often travel many miles, over dusty roads, by public transportation, to reach their students. During the rainy season, some not only wade through high flood waters to get to their schools, they actually spend the day standing and teaching in puddles reaching their knees. For the sake of their students, they are unreserved in seeking out private, corporate, and community funds to attain financing for bookshelves, wall paint, and electric fans. Understanding that the school is often the only resource their students’ families have, they petition for mobile medical services to visit, for feeding programs for the most malnourished children, and for any charitable organization willing to donate flip-flops, haircuts, or spelling bee prizes.
The Lagman-Prouty Foundation is one of those resources for these children. We provide books and school supplies, contribute to feeding programs, and try to meet as many needs as we can.
Newsfeed from the Philippines
