Image via WikipediaIn a sponsorship speech delivered on Wednesday, Senator Edgardo J. Angara expressed his support for the Kindergarten Education Act of 2011, which will institutionalize a mandatory kindergarten level in the Philippine Basic Education System.
"Kindergarten must stop being a mere optional stage of education--skipping this vital year means shortchanging our children's intellectual and social development," said Angara.
Entitled "Preparing Our Children for Education", Angara highlighted the dismal state of our country's educational system--low passing, survival and completion rates in Grade School and High School.
"The DepEd's School Readiness Assessment to Grade 1 revealed that only 74 percent of students assessed were ready to enter grade school, based on mastery of certain necessary skills and competencies," he said.
According to Angara, the state is falling behind the second Millenium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education. One of the reasons behind this is the children's lack of a basic grasp of fundamental skills and knowledge crucial to both formal education and in everyday life.
"A huge number of six-year-olds enter the elementary level without the ability to cope with the increasing demands of school. It is not uncommon for students to quit school out of embarrassment, of not being able to keep up with their peers," Angara explained.
"Full development of the Philippine's most important resource--our people--should start at a critical phase in the education ladder, which is kindergarten. We must therefore do all that we can to ensure that every child has this privilege," stated Angara.
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