Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing for the passage of a measure to improve the quality and delivery of early childhood care and development (ECCD) programs.
“The ECCD is the foundation of education of our youth,” he said.
Gatchalian said the shortage of teachers and facilities is also a growing concern, and that to avert an education crisis, the government should be firm on its programs for ECCD.
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education and Early Childhood Education said his proposed Alignment Act (Senate Bill No. 2029) seeks to align ECCD programs with the country’s basic education curriculum.
It also seeks to make local government units (LGUs) more accountable on the implementation of ECCD programs
Gatchalian cited that the Second Congressional Commission on Education’s (EDCOM II) report confirms a prevailing “education crisis.”
The EDCOM II’s report titled “Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education” enumerated different challenges hounding the country’s ECCD system.
According to data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the ECCD Council, only 36 percent or 15,207 out of 42,027 barangays in the country have at least one child development center (CDC) per daycare.
The Barangay-Level Total Development and Protection of Children Act of 1990 (Republic Act No. 6972) requires each province, city, or municipality to establish a day care center in every barangay.
The EDCOM II report also found that most daycare teachers and workers are aging and lack training in early childhood education (ECE). While 52% of these daycare teachers and workers have a college degree and 17% have a high school diploma, only few of them have trained in ECCD. Since 2005, there have only been 3,993 ECE graduates or about 80 annually from the 224 higher education institutions offering the program.
The report further found that 89% of child development teachers and workers hold nonpermanent positions and receive an average of P5,000 per month.
While Gatchalian’s proposed measure mandates the ECCD Council to ensure the alignment of early childhood education to basic education, LGUs should aim to achieve universal coverage for the national ECCD System by identifying and supporting young children, their parents, and their parent substitutes. LGUs shall also be mandated to create plantilla positions for child development workers and child development teachers and promote their professional development.