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Philippines sees less out-of-school children

Xinhua, June 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Philippine government is expecting a further drop in the number of out-of-school children in the country with the implementation of several projects and programs, a senior government official said Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda made the remarks following a report on the dramatic decline in the number of out-of- school children in the Philippines from 2008 to 2012.

The report, based on research conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), showed that the rate of out-of-school children to the total number of children between the ages of 5 and 15, was reduced to 5.2 percent in 2012 from 11.7 percent in 2008.

Quoting the study, Lacierda said in a news briefing in Malacanang, the presidential palace, "this downward trend will likely continue, as a result of various government initiatives."

According to the report, national funding commitments to education have increased by more than 15 percent annually since 2010.

"As a share of the national budget, education expenditures grew from 12 percent in 2009 to 14 percent in 2015, in view of the expanding Philippine economy," it said. Endi