Children of migrant Pinoy workers receive education subsidy

Published March 28, 2012 9:00am

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Philippine government’s Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) provided an education subsidy to nearly 800 disadvantaged youths, including children of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“The goal of the subsidy was to increase the level of school participation and retention rates in secondary education among disadvantaged youth, including the children of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs),” said IOM Philippines Chief of Mission Ovais Sarmad.

The project provided a monthly allowance of PHP 1,000 (around $23.21) for transport, food

and other expenses, and PHP 500 (around $11.60) for school-related fees.

IOM and its partners on March 28 honored the graduating student beneficiaries of the scheme implemented in 15 selected public high schools.

Launched two years ago, the project has helped disadvantaged young people in some of the poorest provinces of the Philippines finish their education.

Since 2010, the education subsidy has benefited:

641 students at risk of dropping out,
33 former out-of-school youth, and
74 students classified as disadvantaged children of OFWs in public schools in Masbate,
Antique, Agusan del Sur and Maguindanao.

In a news release, the IOM said the scheme, which unlike other scholarship programs did not require a minimum points average.

Students and parents were insted required to sign commitment letters where the parents agreed to allow the children to stay in school and the children agreed to attend classes.

The IOM noted that thousands of young Filipinos leave school early for financial reasons to join the workforce. Many are ill- prepared and find themselves in an exploitative employment, the IOM said.

Figures from the Philippines Department of Education show that in 2009 the national secondary school drop-out rate in the country was close to eight per cent.

“We saw cases of students having to walk huge distances because they didn’t have money for transport. Others failed classes because they didn’t have the resources to complete school projects and assignments," said IOM Philippines National Programme Officer Ricardo Casco.

"Sometimes they deliberately missed classes because they didn’t have food to bring with them to school. These are all things that the education subsidy aimed to address,” Casco added. — VVP, GMA News

Tags: owwa, ofws