Gatchalian urges passage of his bills improving early kids’ education

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian —Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday urged for the passage of measures he proposed to improve the quality and delivery of early childhood care and development (ECCD) programs.

This, following the release of a 398-page report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom II) which shows that the early childhood education in the country has been suffering due to lack of daycare centers and teachers.

READ: Edcom study bares tot schooling woes

“Ang ECCD ang pundasyon sa edukasyon ng mga Kabataan. Gayunpaman, hindi natin naaabot ang marami sa mga kabataan at kulang na kulang tayo sa mga guro at pasilidad,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

(The ECCD is the foundation for the education of the youth. However, we fail to reach many young learners because we lack teachers and facilities.)

“In addressing the education crisis, it is important to ensure that we also strengthen programs for ECCD,” the senator continued.

According to Gatchalian, the Basic Education and Early Childhood Education Alignment Act (Senate Bill No. 2029), which he introduced, seeks to align the ECCD curriculum with the basic education curriculum and make local government units (LGUs) more accountable in the implementation of ECCD programs.

“LGUs should aim to achieve universal coverage for the national ECCD System by identifying and supporting young children, their parents, and their parent substitutes,” the senator’s statement read.

READ: Issues in PH education: A teacher’s perspective

“LGUs shall also be mandated to create plantilla positions for child development workers and child development teachers and promote their professional development,” it added.

Edcom II’s report, citing data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, found that only 36 percent or 15,207 out of 42,027 barangays in the country have at least one child development center (CDC) per daycare.

It also found that most daycare teachers and workers are untrained, underpaid, and aging.