Compared to other countries, the unemployment rate of the Philippines is high. A friend is doing an employment screening for her office and we discussed about the current employment rate.
In my opinion, this is so because of several factors which can be seen in a vicious cycle:
- Lack of education – sure we have free basic education from preschool to high school but not all children are able to attend this due to the family’s lack of financial capabilities for other expenses not covered in the program
- Lack of quality in the educational system – I do not particularly point fingers on teachers but put more blame on the department that is handling the educational programs. I know a lot of these teaches are great (which is why schools abroad hire them) despite working long hours with so little compensation. Books have erroneous facts (well, how can these be facts if these are wrong?), class size range from 50-75, classrooms with leaking ceilings during the rainy season, stinky bathrooms and so much more. Click here and here to read more about this problem.
- Poverty – subsisting on so little, survival is the name of the game for a lot of families in this country so who cares if the children are able to go to school or not? I am sure if given better opportunities, they would send their children to school rather than send them out on the streets to earn a living. This is one reason why the government gives a kilo or two for children as an incentive to go to school. Errr…
- Corruption in the Philippine – budget intended for books, building of classrooms and other needs for a better pubic school system are not given appropriate funds and these are just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Oh wait, there are millions of funds for internet in far-flung areas where there is no electricity. Heh.
- Lack of population control – for a country with limited resources, we are 12th in world rank as fastest growing in number. Do the math, we can’t afford that rising number.
Yes, this goes on and on like the chicken and/or egg situation.
