June 15, 2010 marks the first day of classes amongst most private and public schools in the Philippines. In today’s hard times where a typical household is barely able to make ends meet, being able to send our children to school is a big privilege.

Statistics on education by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) show that among those aged 15-34, the proportion of Filipinos having completed at least primary education at 88-91% is lower than that Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, three ASEAN countries participating in the World Education Indicators (WEI) programme at 92-99%. This sad fact stems from many factors including poverty, low salary of teachers and the government not giving so much priority to quality education.

On the other hand, we know that education is among the very good ways to free oneself from poverty. This is why as much as possible, a child’s education should be prioritized and made accessible to everyone.

It is comforting to find that there are organizations today that are committed to act as a link that helps to bridge the gap that exists especially when it comes to the underprilvileged. One best example is the Katilingbanong Tubag Alang sa Edukasyon sa Kabataan (KATEK). KATEK is a non-profit organization for peace project in Davao City, Philippines offering free education to over 200 children aged 3 to 6 years old regardless of gender, socio-economic status and religious affiliation.

For more details about KATEK, please visit www.jitiy.org.au.

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