MANILA, Philippines -- One in six school-age children in the country is being deprived of education and the number is rising steadily, the government admitted Monday.

The percentage of children enrolled in primary school was down to 83 percent in the 2006-2007 school year, from 90 percent five years earlier, the National Statistical Coordination Board said in a study.

The numbers are even worse for secondary education at 59 percent, though they have been steady over five years.

The data "indicate that the country is still far from achieving the goal of providing basic education to all," the government agency said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo acknowledged last month that the rising cost of food and energy may be pricing education out of the reach of some Filipino families.

She ordered schools not to require their students to wear uniforms to reduce the cost.