Out of School Youth

ABSTRACT

This study shows the reasons and effects why there are out of school youth. It also indicates the children’s rights are deprive form the privileges to have a free education of the government. The researcher included also the statistical analysis of the population of the young people who are out of school in the Philippines. It also indicates the conducting of surveys of some out of school youths and their reactions and comments why they are engaged of it. Furthermore, there are some solutions, effective strategies and programs to give them new hope and to develop the entrepreneurial skills of the young people who were out of school to help them earn a living in their own little way.

OUT OF SCHOOL YOUTH IN THE PHILIPPINES

Out of school youth means having a vulnerable people who have needs. Nobody can deny the hard fact that education is an extremely important factor for bringing change in the lives of individuals. It has universally been recognized as the most powerful instrument and pre-requisite for gearing up the socio-economic development of a nation.

This is why investment in education is considered to be so vital for human resource development and the enhancement of the quality of manpower.  The history of humankind, in general, and that of developed nations of the worked, in particular, is replete with the precedents, which establish the fact that a certain level of literacy in population is an essential pre-requisite for precipitating the process of development in a country.

Out-of-school youth are a vulnerable population with complex needs. Many face dim employment prospects and uncertain futures. Out-of-school youth are broadly defined as youth aged 16 to 24 who are not in school and who are unemployed, underemployed, or lacking basic skills. While there is no single system that provides services to out-of-school youth, many systems can play a role in better addressing their needs, including the public education, workforce, human services, juvenile justice, and community.

REASONS WHY THERE IS OUT OF SCHOOL YOUTH HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES.

1. INCAPABLE GOVERNMENT, the sovereign Filipino people of the Philippines Government does not have the ability to give a good and standard education. Where funds for new projects that would provide the learners a good habitat for learning is being deprive from them because of the rampant corruption of its officers.

We all know that the Government are trying their best to give the needs of the students like books, classrooms and a teacher that would facilitate the learners, but this is not good enough for the people need a Government that is not deaf enough to hear the cries of children being squeeze into tiny classrooms and having a booming population of more than 70 plus students.

We need a Government who is not blind to see teachers leaving the country looking for greener pastures and teachers who are teaching in different levels at the same time but with fewer books. This is the sacrifices and long suffering of Filipino people. The Government have already demolished already our right for a better education therefore the Government of the Philippines needs a quick change of its wrong system of governing its nation.

2. POVERTY, even the education is free, many Filipinos cannot afford still to go to school because of the lack of essential needs like bag, notebooks, paper, writing materials etch. We cannot really deny the fact that the Philippines is a third world country where poverty is rampant and the hardships of life is in one package deal already. To very poor people they cannot even afford to eat three times a day that’s why it is more important for them is food rather than investing for the education for their children.

3. UNSUPPORTABLE PARENTS, what are the qualifications of unsupportable parents; one is they are the anti-motivator they don’t motivate their children to go to school instead they are manipulating their children not to go to school.

This Parents don’t give any moral support like, “bakit ka pa kasi nag-aaral imbes tumulong ka dito sa bahay o sa bukirin” In English term “why do you go to school instead of helping us here in the house or in the field” and lastly even though how eager the child would want to go to school, his/her parents will not give any financial support and the child cannot do anything about it.

4. BAD PEER PRESSURE, some common reasons why children, and teens drop out are there bad peers. What are these bad pressure they are influencing to them?. Here are some examples ;( by: ashetreemeadow) premarital sex [or even sex between minors]

under-age drinking liquor
drugs of any kind (marijuana, cocaine, shabu etc.)
self-mutilation
even hygiene practices that are potentially unhealthy or harmful, like eating habits that lead to disorders vandalism
theft
bullying
pornography

5. BAD VICES, Vice is a practice or a habit considered immoral, depraved, and/or degrading in the associated society (Wikipedia). Vices are like bad habits or an addiction that is always considered as too much for a person.

This is an issue that most high school drop-outs even in elementary are addicted on this vices like drinking liquors, smoking, drug addiction, bad peer pressure even addiction in computer games can cause a drop outs in certain schools where it will lead to out of school youths who are a becoming an additional burden to our society.

6. DISTANT PARENTS, This is a good example for Over Seas Filipino Workers (OFW), OFW parents do distant parenting strategies. Which is not effective, said by Alvin Ang of the University of Santo Tomas working as a cites economist.

“Amid the tide of a nationwide rise of drop-outs and the slump of kids’ school participation and cohort survival, Ang rides against the commonly-held belief that distant parenting strategy doesn’t work”. (By the article of LUIS CARLO S. LIBERATO Feb. 24. 2011)

With this drop-outs more and more young Filipino get out of school and the distant parents do not have any idea that their children are already in the wrong pat.

7. CHILD LABOR, child Labour refers to the illegal employment of children below 18 years old in hazardous occupations. Under-age children are being forced to manual Labour to help their families mainly due to poverty. About 2.06 million children all around the Philippines are compelled to do Labour, such as in crop plantations, mining caves, rock quarries and factories.

Child Labour has many ill effects in children who are supposed to be in the environment of a classroom rather than roaming the streets and risking every chance, time and time again, to earn enough money. Although most do get the privilege of education, most end up being drop-outs and repeaters because they are not able to focus on their studies. Because of child Labour, children suffer from malnutrition, hampered growth and improper biological development. (Author: Anonymous) (Source: http://www.angelfire.com/ab2/relgroup/menu.html)

8. BAD ENVIRONMENT, the environment of the learner has also an impact because students are discourage to go to schools because of terrorism like in some parts of Mindanao where class days are being stop for the fight between the soldiers and rebels adding to that is the kidnapping of teachers.

9. TEACHER FACTOR, some teachers in rural areas have an unruly attitude, who does not care if there students are coming to school or not whether they are teaching the right thing or not who always mocks punish children without any reason. These teachers are already considered an incapable or ineffective teacher that only cares of their salary and not to his/her students.

10. LAZINESS, is the noun for lazy which mean the lack of desire to do something. Laziness can be aroused because of the entire factor which was mentioned above where students are becoming lazy because of the lack of motivation that keeps them going.

Causes and effects of dropping out of school thinking about many issues in today’s society, there are many reasons an individual would drop out of school such as pregnancy, family concerns, and individual reasons. Most people know that education is important however, there can be many circumstances and/or situations that could prevent a person to drop out of school. One reason that came to mind was pregnancy. With me being a mother, I know the hardships and the problems that came come about after having a child. If a parent does not have a good support system as well as some financial help, then this could cause a parent to drop out of school to take care of their child.

Another reason for a person to drop out of school would be family concerns. Meaning, if a person’s relative becomes sick and there is no other person to take care of them then one may drop out of school in order to take care of that relative. Another reason I feel that could cause a person to drop out of school is that the school is not addressing their needs or if the person feel being in school is not helping their situation.

Some people have to have special attention or needs in school and if the school is not addressing them, then it could cause the person to fall behind in their studies. From all of these reasons, there are many effects that are created from a person dropping out of school. One effect is that it increases their chance of not being able to find a good job. Another effect for not attending school could be isolation. In other words, if a person does not graduate with their peers they may begin to think negative of themselves and then may isolate themselves from friends and family because they do not feel that they are “good enough.”

Rate of the out of school youth in the Philippines 2006-2012

Out of school youth are the helpless people who have needs. Nobody can deny that the facts of education are the most important thing or factor for some people to bring change in their lives. It has been recognized as the most prevailing gearing-up the socio-economic development of our government or our nation.

The percentage of children enrolled in the 2006-2007 school year primary school was down to 83% from 90% seven years ago, according to National Coordination on Board by Agency France Pressed(AFP) And also this 2012 the numbers of out of school for secondary education getting worse. Education is the great equalizer that will give all Filipinos rich or poor, the chance to uplift their lives and face a secure future. One in six-school-age children in the Philippines are being deprived of education and the number is raising steadily a study by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) showed 4 years ago. And also the number of six-year-old children who are not in Grade I reached 1.207 million and have 3.8 million school-aged children who likely have not attended school.

The 2003 Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey or (FLEMMS) conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) every 5 years cited 11.6 million Filipinos aged 10-24 are not attending school. The NSCB said the number of Filipino children who did not have access to primary education worsened to 16.8 % of school-age population in the school year ending 2007 from 15.6 % the previous year because of the rising cost of living. And the latest number of children who did not have access to elementary education was even worse compared with the 9.7% recorded in school year 2003.

. Programs for the Out of School Youths

A. Program Orientation
B. Trainings
C. Counseling Assistance
1. TESDA
2. DTI
3. Other Agency Cooperatives
D. Monitoring and Follow – ups
IV. Effects of these Programs
A. Knowledge
B. Skills
C. Self – Opportunities
1. Self – employment
2. Employment for Private Industry
3. Small Business Industry
D. Employment Increase