Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara underscored the importance of funding and prioritizing Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) as early investments in human capital are hallmarks of a forward-looking society,
This was emphasized by Angara during the recent World Bank Philippines Economic Update Development Dialogue recently. “We need to invest more in the early years of our people to ensure that every Filipino child born today has the chance to dream, to learn, to grow, and to contribute to our nation’s progress.”
Citing data of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) January 2024 report, Angara said many Filipino children are not enrolled in early learning programs. Specifically, 78 percent of toddlers are not attending early learning initiatives, while 90 percent do not have access to early childhood education programs in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In addressing the challenge, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed the De-pEd, the Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to coordinate efforts to provide Filipino children access to complete education, good health, and a nurturing environment.
“We must not fall short of nurturing human capital at the onset,” Angara said.
The DepEd is working closely with local government units to address disparities effectively and efficiently, recognizing that a complete and far-reaching ECCD system rests on their shoulders.
“Local governments should have the power, purse, and personnel to shape the lives of their youngest constituents. We’ve seen visionary mayors who got creative with their Special Education Fund. They channel resources to children’s nutrition, daycare construction, and livelihood to parents,” he noted.
For Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, the ECCD Council received a 12 percent increase in its budget, with about P 277 million earmarked for constructing more National Child Development Centers.
In addition, the ECCD curriculum is also being realigned to ensure that Filipino children can seamlessly enter formal schooling.
Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco is a grant recipient and fellow of 2017 media fellowship program by Probe Media Foundation Inc. She is a graduate of Bachelor of Mass Communication from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM). After graduating in 2000 she immediately worked as a newspaper correspondent for Today Newspaper until 2005. Within those five years in Today Newspaper, she was assigned to cover the Eastern Police and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Rizal Province, and the Departments of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Tourism (DOT). In October of 2005, she became a correspondent for the Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing, Inc. She covers Health, Education, MMDA, the local government units in the eastern and southern portions of the metropolis, and Rizal Province.
