Philippines' education system faces challenges with ghost students

The Philippines faces a serious education crisis, with a learning poverty rate of 90%. This means that nine out of ten children aged 10 cannot read or understand basic texts. Observations from a public school in Surigao highlight these challenges. Many students struggle with reading, which affects their confidence and leads to bullying. Teachers at the school are committed to helping students overcome these issues. They have created their own materials and even set up a private reading room to help students learn without the fear of embarrassment. This initiative has shown positive results, with a decline in nonreaders throughout the school year. However, the challenge remains as new students often join with similar struggles. A significant issue within the education system is corruption. The Department of Education has uncovered significant fraud related to a voucher program for private schools. It was found that around P200 million was misallocated to 22,000 non-existent students in just one school year. This issue has persisted for years, with limited audits conducted on accredited schools. There are calls for stronger accountability and reforms to ensure that funds are directed toward real students. Measures are needed to improve monitoring systems and protect whistleblowers who report misconduct. The problems in education go beyond funding; they affect the futures of countless children who rely on education to escape poverty. The efforts of dedicated teachers demonstrate that positive change is possible, but they need adequate support and resources to make a real difference.