Stunting fuels education crisis: Nutrition is key to learning, EDCOM says

The roots of the Philippine education crisis begin long before a child first enters a classroom. 

According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), widespread stunting among children under the age of five is severely impairing their ability to learn — with damage that is permanent and irreversible.

In a joint briefing before the House Committees on Higher and Technical Education and on Basic Education and Culture on Tuesday, EDCOM II Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee stressed that the nation’s education reforms must go hand in hand with urgent interventions in child nutrition.

“If a child is stunted at 0 to 4 years old, kahit araw-araw pakainin ng feeding program hanggang Grade 6, you cannot reverse stunting,” Yee said.

(If a child is stunted between ages 0 to 4, even if we provide daily feeding programs up to Grade 6, you cannot reverse stunting.)

Stunting is a condition caused by chronic malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life. It is known to impair brain development and cognitive function.

EDCOM reported that the regions with the highest stunting rates are the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), SOCCSKSARGEN, Zamboanga Peninsula, and MIMAROPA.

Funding gaps

While the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to spend heavily on school-based feeding programs, EDCOM warned that these efforts come too late for many children. 

“The most critical window for nutrition is before the age of five. Once stunting sets in, classroom interventions cannot undo the damage,” Yee emphasized.

At present, only 21% of Filipino children have access to early childhood education programs, with participation rates lowest in the poorest local government units (LGUs). This leaves millions without the developmental support needed during the most crucial years for brain growth.

Strengthening ECCD

Lawmakers were briefed on the newly signed Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Act, which strengthens coordination among agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Health (DOH), the DepEd, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Under the new law, LGUs are required to establish ECCD units and regularly transmit child development data to the ECCD Council. The DILG Secretary now co-chairs the council, giving it greater authority to ensure compliance at the local level.

Yee explained that many LGUs still fail to allocate sufficient resources from their Special Education Fund toward early childhood programs. Yet where investment is made, results are clear: “LGUs that prioritized ECCD saw significant improvements in literacy by the time children entered Grade 1.”

EDCOM urged legislators to treat nutrition and early childhood care as foundational to solving the learning crisis. Without stronger investments in maternal and child health during the first 1,000 days, the Commission warned, literacy and math reforms in schools will have limited impact.

“Without strong foundations in health and nutrition, education reforms will fall short,” Yee added.