The latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that the country’s female high school students outperformed their male counterparts in basic academic performance.
The PISA 2018 report shows that girls scored 27 points higher than boys in Reading Comprehension. In terms of performance in Mathematics, girls scored 12 points higher than boys and scored 4 points higher than boys in Science.
The gender disparity in education is not only evident in the Philippines. The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2020 shows the persistence of gender inequalities in the acquisition of different competencies.
And while this year’s Global Gender Gap report highlights the growing urgency for action, here at home Senator Win Gatchalian is seeking intensified measures against teenage pregnancy.
The lawmaker puts emphasis on teenage pregnancy as it is the top reason why female students drop out of school. According to the Philippines Statistics Authority’s (PSA) Annual Poverty Indicators Survey 2017, “marriage or family matters” is the top reason why female out-of-school children and youth (OSCY) aged 6-24 are not attending school. The PSA’s 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) also reported that nine percent of 4.9 million teenage women aged 15-19 have begun childbearing.
“Sa paghahangad nating mabigyan ng pantay-pantay na oportunidad sa edukasyon ang kabataan, mahalagang matukoy natin ang mga hadlang sa pagkamit natin ng layuning ito. Sa kaso ng mga batang kababaihan, nakikita natin na ang maagang pagbubuntis ang isa sa mga isyung kailangan nating tutukan,” said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Commitee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture.
“Fostering gender equality is about empowering half of our population with both the opportunities and skills to succeed in school and later on, in their professional lives. Kaya naman kailangan nating labanan ang maagang pagbubuntis dahil pinagkakaitan nito ang maraming kabataan ng magandang kinabukasan,” Gatchalian said.