One in every 10 Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years old is out-of-school child, youth —survey
By Leslie D. Venzon

MANILA (Philippines News Agency) — One in every 10 Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years is an Out of School Child and Youth, according to the 2016 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS)conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

2016 APIS show that the country has about 3.8 million out-of-school children and youth (OSCY), or about 10 percent of 39 million Filipinos six to 24 years old.

APIS report indicated that of the total out-of-school children and youth (OSCY), 87.3 percent were 16 to 24 years old, 7.7 percent were 12 to 15 years old and 5.0 percent were six to 11 years old.

The proportion of OSCYs was higher among females than males, according to APIS.

OSCY refers to family members six to 14 years old who are not attending formal school; and family members 15 to 24 years old who are currently out of school, not gainfully employed, and have not finished college or post-secondary course.

According to APIS, the most common reasons among OSCYs for not attending school were marriage or family matters (42.3 percent), high cost of education or financial concerns (20.2 percent), and lack of personal interest (19.7 percent).

Among females, marriage or family matters were the main reason for not attending school with 59.3 percent; while it was the lack of personal interest among males with 36.5 percent.

Nationwide, about 53 percent of OSCYs belong to families whose income fall at the bottom 30 percent based on their per capita income.

APIS is a nationwide survey that presents data on the socioeconomic profile of Filipino families, and other information that relates to their living conditions. It is designed to provide inputs to the development of an integrated poverty indicator and monitoring system in the country.

The 2016 APIS covered around 11,000 sample households. (PNA)