CHILD LABORERS AND
ADVOCATES FOR SOCIAL PARTICIPATION
Sent to the Children's Parliament on the Right to Education, New Delhi, India, 8-10 November 2003 for deliberation on the UNESCO Higher Level Group Meeting, New Delhi, India, 10-12 November 2003

We, the members of the organization, "Child Laborers and Advocates for Social Participation (CLASP)", and citizens of the Republic of the Philippines, hereby attest to the following:

That our government does have the necessary laws that provide for free education of children, but falls short of our expectations in its implementation. As an organization borne out of the Global March Against Child Labour, we firmly believe in the vision of providing "Education for All". However, providing mandates that give free education is not synonymous to providing "Education for All". In accordance to the goals set during the 2000 World Education Forum, the Philippine Government should ensure that all children (this includes child laborers) have access to a complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality and also improve all aspects of the quality of education.

Sadly, this is not the case.

Children are forced to study under appalling circumstances because of the lack of classrooms, chairs and books. There are cases wherein 120 children are cramped inside one small classroom. Children in public schools have to content themselves with sharing the limited supply of books. There are some schools where six children have to share one book. The lack of school supplies and equipment, such as chairs and laboratory materials (and sometimes even the lack of an actual laboratory), further aggravates the problem.

Children in difficult circumstances, especially those in the southern part of the country, are constantly displaced as political and social unrest continues to haunt their region. Schools become refugee camps or evacuation centers during soldier-rebel encounters, thereby making education one of its primary victims.

There are also not enough venues for working children to study, given their special condition.

Public school teachers also suffer because they are given impractical numbers of children to teach. The quality of education is then as sub-standard as their wages.

What is even worse is that the government doesn't seem to prioritize education. They constantly slash the budget on education, and even the small amount left is ransacked by corrupt government officials, employees and even teachers.

Yes, there are some teachers and school administrators who exploit their students by making them pay for unreasonable fees and course requirements. Poverty is, of course, still a major factor in education. Many children enroll in school; however, many children also drop out because they cannot afford to stay. Instead, these children are sent off to work to help support their families.

Given these problems with the current educational system, it is imperative that the government, civil society and other institutions act swiftly to remedy it. The government must ensure free, quality education by providing venues for child laborers to avail of free education, given their special situation. It must be realized that these children have special needs that should be addressed. If child laborers remain unschooled, then they will be trapped in this abusive situation forever. The needs of children in difficult circumstances, such as those in war-torn or conflict areas, should also be addressed. The government should ensure that all children live in an environment that is conducive for learning.

We recommend that the government and other institutions adopt a holistic approach in solving the problem. It is not enough to provide free tuition, but it is also necessary that all the proper mechanisms for learning be in place. It is not enough to provide free education, it should be free and sustainable education. The government must provide alternative livelihood programs for parents in order for them to be able to support their children to school instead of sending them off to work. In line with this, it is also necessary to have awareness campaigns in communities to instill in parents and children the value of education.

This is a task that we believe cannot be accomplished by the government alone and thus needs the cooperation of civil society and other institutions. Through our concerted effort, we believe that we can truly make the dream of "education for all" a reality.