Health & Education

The education system in the Philippines is managed by the Department of Education (DepEd). Mandatory schooling for ages 5-12 is provided (called elementary education), and secondary education (the Filipino equivalent to high school) lasts until about age 18.

(Hernandez et al., 2022)

Philippines DepEd

Education is a challenge to the scattered islands apart from the Philippines mainland. Through a charity founded by Anton Lin (pictured above) called the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation, students (and often their parents) are provided transport from their remote villages to a local school.

Image: Lo, 2018

Literacy by Groups
(Mapa, 2022)

Literacy rate

91.6%

The literacy rate for ages 10-64 years was 91.6% in 2019.

Literacy level 4

53.4%

Rate of those ages 10-64 years who had completed 4 years of secondary education (literacy level 4). Most were from the 20 to 24 age group.

Literacy level 4 by location

Urban areas: Literacy level 4 for ages 10-64 was

60.5%

Rural areas: Literacy level 4 for ages 10-64 was

44.3%

Elementary education

52.4%

of only elementary graduates can read, write, compute, comprehend.

Fit for School (FIT) Approach

Image: Monse & Stjernswärd, n.d.

The WHO recently published a study on social determinants of health in various countries. The bottom line? Water. Water access and cleanliness were huge factors in developing a country with healthy children. Because of this, the Philippines Department of Education took responsibility for providing their children with clean water. They constructed the Fit for School (FIT) Approach, targeting some of the healthcare challenges effecting school children’s success: including worm infections, diarrhea, respiratory infections and tooth decay. Nearly all of these traced back to water cleanliness. Measures that were implemented accordingly include

hand washing

fluoride toothpaste &

biannual deworming.

Improvements were also made to clean water access for the families of these children. The costs for this program were integrated into the Filipino government budget as a sustainable and lasting fund. The Department of Education focused on three S's for making this FIT Approach work: simple, scalable, and sustainable.

(Benzian et al., 2012)

Healthcare System

Barriers to health

There is continued concern for the supply of licensed healthcare workers in the Philippines, due to job opportunities in the United States and other more developed countries. Because of this, traditional and nonprofessional healthcare services are frequently used. High poverty rates* also make it difficult to access quality healthcare.

Another issue that poses health concern is housing. The country suffers from a shortage of houses, most significantly in Manila. Current measures from the government in this area is being done, such as relocating families to designated “resettlement areas”, repurposing unused government land into low-income housing sites, and updated mortgage programs.

*46.9%

of Filipinos are living on <$5.50 a day (in U.S. dollars).
(Macrotrends, 2018)

Healthcare in the Philippines is managed by the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

As seen in the health indicators, life expectancy is going up in the Philippines. Improved life expectancy and reduced mortality are partially due to improved social security benefits, government-supplied health services, more healthcare workers, and requirements for new medical workers to serve time in rural areas. This has helped access to care for more socioeconomic and diverse groups within the Philippines.