MANILA, Philippines -- Despite classroom, teacher and book shortages, the Department of Education (DepEd) is pushing for the implementation of "Project Reach," which aims to bring back to the public school system some 5.6 million out-of-school children and youth nationwide.

"The big challenge is to find them, reach them, keep them in school and make them complete their studies," according to a project paper furnished the Inquirer.

Reach, which is short for "reaching all children," targets some 2.2 million children aged 6 to 12 and 3.4 million others from the ages of 13 to 15.

The program also aims to reduce the 6 percent and 7.5 percent dropout rates in the elementary and high school levels, respectively.

"Thus, the big challenge of finding and reaching these unschooled and retaining the un-sufficiently schooled number cannot be taken lightly nor overlooked. They are either in the streets, in high risk but low-paying jobs or they are sick and with disabilities. Wherever they are or whatever they do, they are prone to all forms of human trafficking, exploitation or getting neglected," said the project brief.

According to DepEd, "the longer they stay in school the higher chances for them to learn, develop skills needed in seeking gainful employment and the capacity to manage their own lives."

Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus said on Thursday the agency would "unlikely" reach the project target during the current school year.

But Lapus, in a text message, said the DepEd could add more teachers to "optimize the utilization rate of classrooms," with most public schools "still on a single shift."

"Resource generation due to higher participation is a better problem to face than a costly high illiteracy rate," he said.

When the 2009-2010 school year opened in June, DepEd was short of 5,047 classrooms and 23,543 teachers despite a P25-billion increase in the agency's annual budget.

From its 2008 funding of P149 billion, DepEd got a budget allocation of P174 billion in 2009.

Teresita Inciong, DepEd assistant secretary for programs and projects, told the INQUIRER, they would tap the help of all local government units in identifying children who would become the beneficiaries of the program.

"We expect barangay centers to post how many children of school-age who are out-of-school, as well as the participation and cohort survival rates of those currently enrolled in our public schools," said Inciong, who has been overseeing the project.

DepEd plans to "absorb these children and youth even later this year. We plan to enroll even those who have no birth certificates. We're removing the strict document requirements."

"Better late than never. We're confident they'll catch up," she said.

Some 18.6 million students are currently enrolled in 43,204 public elementary and high schools all over the country.

Inciong said "getting children to school is already a problem. Keeping them in school throughout the year is even a bigger problem. Surviving in school until Grade 6 or fourth year in high school is a constant struggle for many."

"Poverty is the biggest factor that keeps these children and youth from enrolling or regularly attending school," she explained.

But Inciong expressed optimism the agency's "innovative intervention" would succeed in minimizing, if not eradicating school dropouts.

In June, Undersecretary Vilma Labrador issued Memorandum no. 284 allotting P1 million per DepEd region to "augment resources for the full implementation of Project Reach."

Meanwhile, Project Reach got some backing from the militant Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), which called it a "good first step."

ACT chair Antonio Tinio chair said "there's finally some official recognition of the magnitude of the problem of dropouts which has ballooned under the Arroyo administration."

Tinio said, however, the DepEd must ensure that Reach survive until the next administration, otherwise its impact would be in doubt.

Earlier in a statement, ACT pointed out that "millions of poor children who are no longer going to school are casualties of the lopsided economic growth of the past few years, which has enriched a small minority while further impoverishing the vast majority."

"Ensuring that these children are able to go to school and stay in school requires the mobilization and participation of a broad cross-section of society fighting for the right to quality education for all," ACT said.

ACT, along with the Teachers' Organization of the Philippines, National Alliance of Teacher and Office Workers, and the Federation of Free Workers-Asian Confederation of Teachers, earlier took part in a workshop on "Reducing Dropouts and Out-of-School Children in Basic Education and Achieving Education-for-All by 2015."

Workshop participants noted the "dramatic increase in dropout rates in basic education since 2000" and the development posed a "serious obstacle to the achievement of the Education-for-All by 2015 goals, which the Philippine government had committed to the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal."

The teacher groups vowed to "wage a vigorous nationwide campaign to reduce the number of dropouts and out-of-school children."

They also demanded an "increase in government spending on education equivalent to 6 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product, provision of additional subsidies for poor children who are most at risk of dropping out and the enactment of an enabling law making elementary education compulsory."