<P> France Castro, the secretary of Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), stated that there is a grave need to address the alarming number of out - of - school youth in the country . The Philippines overall has 1.4 million children who are out - of - school, according to UNESCO's data, and is additionally the only ASEAN country that is included in the top 5 countries with the highest number of out - of - school youth . In 2012, the Department of Education showed data of a 6.38% drop - out rate in primary school and a 7.82% drop - out rate in secondary school . Castro further stated that "the increasing number of out - of - school children is being caused by poverty . The increases in the price of oil, electricity, rice, water, and other basic commodities are further pushing the poor into dire poverty ." Subsequently, as more families become poorer, the number of students enrolled in public schools increases, especially in the high school level . In 2013, the Department of Education estimated that there are 38, 503 elementary schools alongside 7,470 high schools . </P> <P> There is a large mismatch between educational training and actual jobs . This stands to be a major issue at the tertiary level and it is furthermore the cause of the continuation of a substantial amount of educated yet unemployed or underemployed people . According to Dean Salvador Belaro Jr., the Cornell - educated Congressman representing 1 - Ang Edukasyon Party - list in the House of Representatives, the number of educated unemployed reaches around 600,000 per year . He refers to said condition as the "education gap". </P> <P> Brain drain is a persistent problem evident in the educational system of the Philippines due to the modern phenomenon of globalization, with the number of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who worked abroad at any time during the period April to September 2014 was estimated at 2.3 million . This ongoing mass immigration subsequently induces an unparalleled brain drain alongside grave economic implications . Additionally, Philippine society hitherto is footing the bill for the education of millions who successively spend their more productive years abroad . Thus, the already poor educational system of the Philippines indirectly subsidizes the opulent economies who host the OFWs . </P> <P> There exists a problematic and distinct social cleavage with regard to educational opportunities in the country . Most modern societies have encountered an equalizing effect on the subject of education . This aforementioned divide in the social system has made education become part of the institutional mechanism that creates a division between the poor and the rich . </P>

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