Educate Children At Risk: Factors Affecting The Cohort Survival Rate

WENDELL GLENN P. CAGAPE, Ph.D.

College Board Secretary/Campus Academic Head
JH Cerilles State College, Pagadian City Campus, Balangasan, Pagadian City, Philippines
cagapewendell_gl@yahoo.com

Abstract:

Cohort Survival Rate is the measure of the percentage of pupils enrolled in the first grade who
finishes Grade IV. Factors such as rural poverty, health issues such as nutrition and vitamin A
supplementation, lack of school buildings, inaccessibility of schools are driving pupils away
from schooling. This study was conducted in 10 disparity barangays in Zamboanga del Sur,
covered under the 6th Country Program for Children by the UNICEF. Alternative livelihood helps
resolve the concern.

INTRODUCTION:

The Philippine 1987 Constitution declared in Section 17 that “the State shall give priority to
education, science and technology, arts, culture, and sports to foster patriotism and nationalism,
accelerate social progress, and promote total human liberation and development” (Bernas, 2003).
The emphasis placed on education in this context far exceeds the present-day interventions in
relation to improved academic outcomes among pupils, but also encompasses the active
participation of all elementary pupils and making them ready for higher educational
opportunities by ensuring that they graduate in the primary or elementary level.

In the Philippine setting, almost all provinces and cities, including municipalities have
elementary schools in operation however, there are much more to be constructed in barangays
situated from far away localities. Zamboanga del Sur is not an exception. There are much to be
desired in terms of classroom construction as well as the identification of barangays that needs
teachers and classrooms to supplement the educational needs of the general populace. This may
also be one of the factors that affect Cohort Survival Rate in the Province. Because of these
realities, the study has been undertaken to understand the factors affecting cohort survival. This
study was conducted in 12 areas namely, Barangay Bogo Kapalaran in the Municipality of
Molave, Barangay Boloron, in the Municipality of Midsalip, Barangays Sta. Lucia and San
Pedro in the City of Pagadian, Barangay Libertad in the Municipality of Dumingag, Poblacion in
the Municipality of Pitogo, barangay Lumbog in the Municipality of Margosatubig, Barangay
Benuatan in the Municipality of Dinas, in Barangay Lunib in the Municipality of V. Sagun,
Barangay Salambuyan in the Municipality of Lapuyan, Barangay Diplo in the Municipality of
Kumalarang and at the Poblacion in the Municipality of Lakewood.

REVIEW OF LITERATURES:

The National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) defined cohort survival as, “a measure of the
efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of education services in the country, and is defined as
the percentage of enrollees at the beginning grade or year in a given school year who reached the
final grade or year of the elementary or secondary level” (Virola, 2007). Based on this definition,
the “cohort survival rate was at 69.84 percent in the elementary level. This means that about 70
students out of a hundred who entered grade one reached grade six. For the secondary
level,cohort survival rate was at 65.83 percent” (Basic Education at a Glance, 2005).

The United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific defines this as “The percentage
of a cohort of pupils enrolled in grade 1 of the primary level of education in a given school year
who are expected to reach a specific grade (Survival rate to Grade 5)” (UNSIAP, 2005).
Based on these definitions, the cohort survival rate of the Province of Zamboanga del Sur from
2002-2007 as provided for by the Department of Education, as presented in this graph, revealed
that since 2002, the combined Cohort Survival Rate of male and female elementary pupils are
decreasing however, it gains momentum from 2005, when the Province of Zamboanga del Sur
and together with the Department of Education, has engaged in massive advocacy campaign in
targeted disparity barangays to improve the Cohort Survival Rate among public elementary
pupils within the Province of Zamboanga del Sur. In 2002, the combined rate is 60.65%,
however in the succeeding 2003 and 2004, this has fallen to 54.34% and 54.29% respectively.
Affected in this downtrend of the CSR is the male pupil’s participation and completion rate as
contrasted with their female counterparts. In the same years as cited above, female finishing and
completing basic elementary education far exceeds the percentage of male finishing and
completing the same educational level/grade. Disturbingly still, although the trend since 2005 is
increasing, the male pupils have not equaled or surpassed the percentage of female pupils
completing elementary, thus explains the sizable number of female students in secondary and
college as well as pre-university in the in Zamboanga del Sur and in the Philippines. This data
echoes the 2004 Human Development Report in which it states that the ratio of female as a
percentage of male in the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrollment is pegged
at 104.9% (Human Development Report , 2009). Combined enrollment rate means “the ratio of
the sum of elementary and secondary enrolment in the corresponding age group that should be
enrolled at those levels to the sum of corresponding school age population” (Technical Notes on
the Human Development Index, 2009).

These are caused by factors that are otherwise associated with the patterns of investments among
the national government agencies as well as the local government units. The Local Government
Code of 1991 has envisioned that services of government are to be decentralized and education
has not been part of the devolution of these functions in accordance to the Local Government
Code hence local government units across the region and in the different municipal local
governments continually depend on their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for education and
other social services, and is constrained in establishing schools and constructing school
buildings. It has been admitted by the local government units as well as the Regional
Development Council of Zamboanga Peninsula that the LGU’s dependence on the IRA “still
constitutes around 55.7% of the Total Financial Resources (TFR) of the LGUs in the region”
(Yebes, 2004).

6 year Comparative CSR in The Zamboanga

Peninsula
Zamboangadel Sur Development Plan
100% 55.75 50.42 61.91 indicated that
2007
80% 53.66 48.37 59.78 “LGU’s
52.81 47.1 59.38 2006 expenditures in the
60%
54.29 47.07 62.94 2005 region indicate that
40% 54.34 49.25 only Php 1, 652.57
60.13
20% 60.65 54.85 67.36 2004 is spent per person.
0% 2003 However, of this
Total M/f Male Female amount 46.88% is
2002
spent for General
Services rather than on Economic Services at 22.30% and Social Services at 21.43%,
respectively.” This pertains to the LGU’s spending patterns relative to education which usually
impacts the quality of educational services rendered.

Another is on the issue of rural poverty that also affects education. Even the Asian Development
Bank mentioned in its policy on education that poverty “is both a cause and an effect of
insufficient access to or completion of quality education. Children of poor families are less likely
to enroll in and complete schooling because of the associated costs of attending school, even
when it is provided free. The cost of uniforms, supplies, and transportation may well be beyond
the means of a poor family, especially when the family has several children of school age. This
means that choices have to be made, and the choice is often to drop out of school or, worse yet,
to deny schooling to girls while enrolling the boys, thereby contributing directly to maintaining
the inferior status of women. And as poor children who are enrolled grow older, the opportunity
cost (their lost labor and the foregone income it may entail) becomes greater, thus increasing the
likelihood of abandoning school” (Asian Development Bank, 2009).

Poverty in areas where schools are very inaccessible drives lesser participation and thus affects
survival through the elementary. As if to provide the impetus for a more driven approach to
ensure that pupils in the elementary finished until secondary level, the Philippines passed
Republic Act 6655 which expressly elucidated that in the Philippines, secondary schooling is
free in public schools. Further, the Philippine government also provided temporary employment
opportunities for youths and students to earn an income while on summer and/or Christmas
vacation from school as enshrined in Republic Act 7323. Both laws have been widely observed
however, there is still a dearth on data of actual implementation, one being that public high
schools are also not present and is inaccessible in the barangay level while summer job
opportunities under the Department of Labor and Employment can not at all, accommodate all
those wishing to avail of the temporary employment. At the barangay level, these two landmark
laws are not widely implemented, due to the geographic location of centers of actual opportunity.
Usually, those barangays that have higher poverty indices, are located in distant areas, too far
away from these opportunities thus, schoolchildren will still have to resort to the traditional way
of earning an income. They will help their parents tend to the farm or herd the flocks to augment
the family’s income.

Another consideration why pupils in the elementary drop out of school is their health. Due to the
inclement weather in the Philippines, pupils are forced to be absent from class whenever they got
fever and other ailments. Compounding the problem is the lack of barangay health centers that
carries a full range of medications that easily addresses these illnesses, most often, the child is
usually, home-rested. Home rest is where the parents tend to their sick child with usually, no
medical attention and prescription, but rather relied heavily on home-grown medications and
homeopathy. The level of nutrition has something to do with active participation in schools too.
Nutritional nourishment also ward off sickness thus enabling school children to focus more on
school activities than pre-occupied with staying at home due to sickness. According to the Food
and Agriculture Organization, “Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient
deficiencies remain the leading nutritional problems in the Philippines. The general declining
trend in the prevalence of underweight, wasting and stunting among Filipino children noted in
the past 10 years was countered with the increase in the prevalence rate in 1998. About 4 million
(31.8%) of the preschool population were found to be underweight-for-age, 3 million (19.8%)
adolescents and 5 million (13.2%) adults, including older persons were found to be underweight
and chronically energy deficient, respectively” (FAO Nutrition Country Profile, 2001). Also,
malaria is endemic in 65 of the 78 provinces, putting at risk a population of 11 Million, in mostly
remote rural areas (Landey, 2004). Further, the report mentioned that twenty-five (25) of these
provinces account for 90 per cent of all malaria cases.

The state of malnutrition in elementary school in Zamboanga del Sur from 2005 to 2007 revealed
that the percentage of malnourished school children is 19.86, 14.60 and 18.18 respectively. The
data is taken from the Provincial Nutrition Council of the province. In terms of nourishment
through Vitamin A interventions, 2005 data revealed that in Buloron, Municipality of Midsalip it
has a total of 220 children aged 1-5 years old. For Bogo Kapalaran, in the Municipality of
Molave, it has 232 children. In Libertad, Municipality of Dumingag, it has 195 children. In
Poblacion, Pitogo, it revealed that it has only provided Vitamin A supplements to at least 50
children from a population of 500 children. In Lunib, Municipality of Vincenzo Sagun, it has 210
children. In Lumbog, Municipality of Margosatubig, it has provided Vitamin A supplementation
on 270 children. In Salambuyan, Municipality of Lapuyan, they have 45 children. In Diplo,
Municipality of Kumalarang, it has provided Vitamin A to 326 children. In Poblacion,
Municipality of Lakewood, it has provided Vitamin A to 590 children. And in Benuatan,
Municipality of Dinas, it has provided the same to at least 80 children. There were no records for
San Pedro and Sta. Lucia, both from Pagadian City under this category.

As of the 2000 census, Zamboanga del Sur had a population of 836,147, making it the 16th most
populous province. The population density was 3,480/km², the 20th most densely populated
province. However, a 2007 census revealed that the province has a total of 914,278. It has a total
land area of 796,321 hectares. It was made a province on September 17, 1952 by virtue of
Republic Act 711, making it the 52 province of the Republic of the Philippines, with 681
barangays in 26 municipalities with 1 independent city which is Pagadian City.

The province of Zamboanga del Sur is primarily agricultural. Its rich oil and terrain which
consists mostly of considerably low, rolling hills are ideal for the production of a large variety of
crops. Fishing and grazing are important industries of Zamboanga del Sur, with fishing offering
relatively unlimited opportunities due to the presence of major fishing grounds (Luceno, 2001).

METHODOLOGY:

The study employs a survey method of gathering the data from the identified disparity
barangays. These are identified by the Province of Zamboanga del Sur through the Provincial
Planning and Development Office covered under the Sixth Country Program for Children, an
intervention package for the children of Zamboanga del Sur delivered jointly by the UNICEF
and the Province of Zamboanga del Sur. Of these areas, five (5) are located in the First
Congressional District and seven (7) are located in the Second Congressional District.
It uses survey questionnaires in the survey. In gathering all the data, a research team was
organized principally from the Provincial Government of Zamboanga del Sur. This study is a
descriptive-qualitative survey thus uses simple percentages and frequencies. It uses random
sampling technique.

KEY RESULTS:

From the areas identified as disparity barangays, the study has surveyed a total of 2,638 sampling
size comprising 30% of the total population (household population) size of 8,794. The
respondents are taken to represent per household and could either be the husband or the wife.
Only one respondent is taken from one household.

Of these respondents, 76% are female and only 24% are male. This provided a total picture of
the domesticity of female members of the household when the survey was conducted in the areas
identified as disparity areas. The researcher has found mostly women tending to the household as
men (husbands) are working, mostly on daytime. Of these, 90% of the respondents said they are
already married. In terms of educational attainment, only 5% of these respondents said that they
have finished college education compared to 24% of whom who said that they have “some
elementary education”, but was not able to graduate. In terms of employments, 54% were
unemployed while 39% are self-employed, either as a store owner, peddler or farmer. In terms of
age, most of the respondents were between the age bracket of 37-40 years old who earns less
than Php 2,000 income per month (52%), roughly about US 41.57 per month in the most recent
currency conversion, or US$ 1.34 per day. 38% of these respondents from San Pedro, in
Pagadian City said they have the most number of school-aged children which totaled to 1,011
school children, followed by Sta, Lucia, still in Pagadian City with at least 926 school children.
The areas covered with less number of school-age children in the household is in Salambuyan,
Lapuyan with at least, 131 school-age children.

There are a total of 4,895 school-age children in the identified disparity barangays. By
distribution, at six (6) years old category, of these school-age children, 321 are presently enrolled
in Grade I. Among the 7 years old category, 419 of these are in Grade I and 146 are in Grade II,
while 12 are not in school. At the 8 years old category, 218 children are enrolled in Grade I, 282
are in Grade II, 145 are in Grade III, 9 are in Grade IV while 5 are not in school. At the 9 years
old category, 94 are in Grade I, 136 are in Grade II, 250 are in Grade III, 129 are in Grade IV, 8
are in Grade V and 10 are not in school. At the 10 years old category, 48 are enrolled in Grade I,
70 are in Grade II, 128 are in Grade III, 214 are in Grade IV, 118 are in Grade V, 8 are in Grade
VI while 10 are not in school. At the 11 years old category, 17 are enrolled in Grade I, 45 are in
Grade II, 57 are in Grade III, 111 are in Grade IV, 199 are in Grade V, 124 are in Grade VI while
8 are not in school and 3 are in First year high school. At the 12 year old category, 16 are
enrolled in Grade I, 30 are in Grade II, 59 are in Grade III, 76 are in Grade IV, 122 are in Grade
V, 208 are in Grade VI while 21 are not in school and 52 are in High School. In the 13 year old
category, 10 are enrolled in Grade I, 13 are enrolled in Grade II, 30 are in Grade III, 31 are in
Grade IV, 69 are in Grade V, 114 are in Grade VI while 22 are not in school, and at this age, 132
are in High school. At the 14 years old category, 2 are in Grade I, 6 are in Grade II, 15 are in
Grade III, 21 are in Grade IV, 42 are in Grade V, 59 are in Grade VI while 19 are not in school
and 119 are in High School. At the 15 years old category, 1 child is enrolled in Grade I, 1 in
Grade II, 6 are in Grade III, 17 are in Grade IV, 19 are in Grade V, 34 are in Grade VI while 24
are not in school and 149 are in High School.

Among Grade I pupils being covered in the survey, the barangay that has the highest registered
pupils is San Pedro, in the City of Pagadian with a total of 72 pupils followed by Barangay
Poblacion in the Municipality if Pitogo. The least is Libertad, Dumingag which has only 8 pupils
enrolled in Grade I. Among the pupils in Grade VI, the highest areas with 11 years old presently
enrolled is Sta. Lucia in Pagadian City with 27, briefly followed by San Pedro, still in Pagadian
City with 26 pupils and Poblacion, Pitogo with 23 pupils. The least among the disparity
barangays Salambuyan, Lapuyan with only 1 pupil enrolled at this age category. When asked
whether their children goes to school, with no particular reference as which grade levels and in
reference to children age between 6-12 years old, the respondents replied yes (98%) compared to
those who said no (2%). Among those who said NO, the primary concern was No money to
spend on school (63%), followed briefly by No School uniform, No notebooks, papers and
pencils, no schoolbag, all at 32%. Another 30% said Hard up times is the reason why their
children are not in school.

Although a huge percentage of those covered in the survey have children in school, the focus of
the study is now pointed towards those who replied NO to the previous question if their child
goes to school.

Among those who said that their child has stopped going to school, the concentration of those
pupils who last attended school at a specific grade level is from Grade III, IV and V, the highest
being in Grade V with 162 dropouts followed by Grade IV with 160 dropouts.

The main reason for those who decided not to go school is poverty (50%) followed by high cost
of education (14%), although in the Philippines and even in these areas, primary education is
free and relatively cheap. Poverty and high cost of education are two of the factors, considerably
affecting school attendance and participation among pupils in school. These concerns are being
addressed by one of the factors also that affect school attendance and participation and that is
earning a living 11% and doing farm work 7%. These confluences are making it hard for pupils
to stay in school after they had hurdle the academic rudiments of Grade I and II, respectively.
Understandably, classroom requirements among Grades III, IV and V are also relatively more
frequent as compared to the lower levels, thus compounded by poverty in the countryside, pupils
easily gave up schooling to look for a living or undertake farm work to help the parents.

Among those who are in school, an overwhelming (98%) mass of respondents answered that
their children do enjoy going and attending classes in the school, at whatever level they are
presently in. Further, they responded that their children goes to school between 6:31-7:00AM
(68%) followed by those whose children go to school between 6:01-6:30AM (27%) while only
0.1% who said that their children goes to school between 5:01-5:31AM and only 2% said that
their children goes to school beyond 7AM. Considerably, the respondents do not accompany
their children in going to school (92%) compared to only 8% of them said that they accompany
their children in going to school. Usually, their children bring packed meals ‘baon’ (74%) to
school to avoid being late because they had to go home for lunch. Also, 74% of these
schoolchildren bring school bags to school for their books, notebooks, and for carriage of the
packed lunches.

When asked if their children have incurred absences in school, 64% said yes and 36% said no.
The causes of the absences of their children are as follows, sickness (55%), rainy season (days)
at 22% and no school materials (11%).

One of the questions of the survey is whether their barangay has a barangay public elementary
school, the respondents said they have (98%). The disparity barangays as identified is relatively
near the Poblacion or in the Poblacion itself, therefore, presence of a public school is observed.
The poblacion is a place where considerable concentration of economic activity is present, i.e.
stores, public markets, churches, barangay offices and even municipal offices. Laudably, in
Zamboanga del Sur, almost all municipalities have public schools strategically located and
established in nearby barangays adjacent to a Poblacion, there is still an unmet barangay due to
non-establishment of public elementary school, which unfortunately, were not covered under this
study. For the 2% that they are located in a locale that do not have a barangay public elementary
school, the furthest school is less than a kilometer away to as far as 1-3 kilometers away.
Usually, these schools are accessible by paved/concrete roads (51%) and graveled road (46%).
In the entire province, most of the barangays are accessible although in some areas, there is a
need for more infrastructures linking one area to the other. Further, majority of the school
children walk to school (94%) as compared to those who do not because there are modes of
transportation like motorcycle and public transportation system. In this context, the child usually
walks since public elementary schools are closely located in densely populated areas and/or
centers of economic activity, and these school children wear slippers in going to school (95%).

Although the Department of Education do not requires school uniform among public elementary
schools in the country, this survey revealed that 96% of the respondents said that the schools that
their children attended requires a school uniform. Further, the survey revealed that 78% of the
respondents complied with the school uniform requirement and had their children wear uniform
in going to school and 22% of the respondents commented that their children do not wear school
uniform in going to school, although they have no idea that the Department of Education does
not require school uniform among public elementary schools, among others as evidenced in
Department Orders issued by the Department of Education.

In terms of the question of whether their children have enough books, it revealed that 64% of the
respondents answered that their children have enough school books, although in this particular
question, there was no indication if the books are owned or not, or whether the books are being
brought to their respective homes or being used in the classroom. Upon evaluation, the responses
revealed that it was rather based on the perceptions of these parents that their children have
enough books inside the classroom, although the qualification as to how many is enough is
absent.

91% of the respondents revealed that their children have time to study in their homes using the
books prescribed in the class. However, when asked if their homes have provision of electricity,
39% of them said that they do not have electricity at home as compared to 61% who said they
have. Of the 39% of the respondents who do not have electricity at home, their main source of
light at night are the following, lamparilla (table lamp) 99% and candle (1%). For those who
have electricity at home, when asked whether they have TV sets at home, the survey revealed
that they have a TV set at home 62% as compared to those who have not. When asked how long
does their child watch TV on weekdays, it revealed that their child watch TV for 1-2 hours daily
(56%) and less than an hour daily (44%).

When asked whether their child makes homework or assignments at home, the survey revealed
that 97% of them said YES compared to only 3% who said NO. In effectively participating in
many school activities, we have asked if their children have enough papers to write on, 83% of
the respondents said YES and 91% of the respondents said that their children also have pencils to
be used in school.

According to the respondents, their children, while attending schools are required and has in their
possession at least, 8 or more different notebooks (36%), followed by those who said that their
children has between 6-7 different notebooks (24%) and between 4-5 different notebooks (20%).

Relatively, as to the question on the number of teachers the elementary school where their
children went to school, the respondents said that it has 8 or more teachers (68%) as compared to
those who said that there are only between 4-5 teachers in the elementary school where their
child goes to (9%). When the respondents were asked whether they knew the school teacher of
their children, they answered overwhelmingly with a yes (78%) as compared to those who do not
know the school teacher of their children. Further, majority (96%) of the respondents said that
the teacher of their children comes to school early. And when asked whether the teachers
conduct classes on a daily basis, their responses are overwhelmingly yes (97%), only 3% of
these respondents said that the teachers only have classes at least four times a week.

Considerably, these schools as located in the disparity barangays are not multi-grade schools
instead, a complete barangay public elementary school as revealed by those who said that the
school where their children attended are not multi-grade schools (95%). These schools,
according to the respondents have enough seats inside the classroom (97%) and majority (97%)
of the respondents revealed that their children have seats inside the classroom where they are
presently enrolled.

CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATIONS:

Cohort Survival Rate is affected by factors such as poverty, health, distance of schools,
motivation as well as incentives of going to school. As evidenced in this study, the cause of low
CHR in the province is rather poverty and the inability of the national government to construct
more school buildings in strategic areas within the province. Construction of school buildings are
still within the ambit of the national government rather than devolved to Local Government
Units. In this case, as mandated by the Local Government Code, the proceeds of the Special
Education Fund (SEF) usually go to the hiring of locally-paid teachers to augment much needed
human resource. These teachers are placed on the payroll as locally-paid teachers until a
permanent teaching position is made available. Also, rural poverty plays a critical role. Rural
poverty is driving pupils away from schools since they have no sufficient meals to take before
going to school and for mid-day lunch. The pangs of hunger always hinder their dream of
finishing schooling in the elementary level. At first, they may have a head-start when they enroll
in Grades I and II however, due to poverty, they do not often enroll in Grades III and IV. Also,
improved nutrition among schoolchildren has to be intensified to ensure that they attend and
finished schooling.

For an increased CHR in the province, an intensive intervention that targets rural poverty
alleviation should be considered. Intensified alternative mode of living like planting of cassava,
high value crops, fruit trees should be encouraged to allow farmers to earn more income to
finance their daily needs, which includes meals for their children prior to going to school and the
mid-day lunch. Cassava planting is a viable option to make livelihood in the barangay level work
for every farmer since the cassava produce can be harvested after 10 months and it do not
necessarily require huge open tracks of land for plantation purposes. This is also small-scale but
the potential for earning additional income is higher.

Also, extensive and intensified intervention of the UNICEF and the Province will ensure
improved CHR among pupils, thus ensuring more pupils enrolling in secondary and eventually,
in the higher education sector.

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