Empowering Filipino Communities Through Accessible Education
Every Filipino child carries dreams of a better future, but for many, barriers in education stand in the way. Across the country, students face overcrowded classrooms, limited resources, and unequal opportunities. Education is more than a basic right; it’s a powerful tool for turning hopes and ambitions into reality. That’s why organizations like Tiyara are so important. Our work ensures that education reaches those who need it most, helping to empower individuals and uplift entire communities.
The Current Statistics
The Philippine education system faces serious challenges, especially in funding, infrastructure, and student outcomes. Recent Philippine education statistics show that in 2019, public education spending averaged just 3.1% of the GDP, below the UNESCO-recommended 4–6%. This has resulted in a shortage of 165,000 classrooms and major gaps in school facilities. In higher education, despite free tuition, attrition rates reach 35.15% and participation sits at 34.89%, below the ASEAN average of 41.10%. These problems highlight the urgent need for deeper reforms in Philippine education.
Nonprofits like Tiyara play a crucial role in addressing these challenges. Tiyara supports students in marginalized areas, focusing on creating opportunities that help bridge educational inequalities. These methods offer opportunities where government resources fall short.
What Are Some Problems in Education in the Philippines?
Filipino families face a thicket of barriers:
Education in rural areas in the Philippines suffers from shortages of trained teachers, learning materials, and stable electricity.
Chronic underfunding leaves classrooms overcrowded, exposing the stark Philippines’ lack of education resources.
Students shoulder hidden costs (uniforms, meals, transport) that add up faster than the minimum wage.
The pandemic widened learning gaps, shaking the quality of education in the Philippines and eroding foundational skills.
Natural disasters exacerbated by climate change disrupt the school calendar, damage infrastructure, and displace students and teachers.
While digital tools offer promise, many communities still lack internet access, devices, or digital literacy skills.
These overlapping issues form the beating heart of education problems in the Philippines that Tiyara sets out to remedy.
Government Response: Reform on Paper, Hurdles in Practice
The 2017 Free Higher Education Law (Republic Act 10931) promised free higher education in the Philippines, positioning the country among global advocates for open college access. The measure, celebrated as the advantage of free higher education in the Philippines, lightened tuition burdens but did not cover daily living expenses, books, or digital fees. Meanwhile, the Philippines Department of Education (DepEd) pushed for 21st-century learning skills in the Philippine education setting — critical thinking, collaboration, and digital fluency. Yet reform budgets rarely match ambitions, showing that financing basic education in the Philippines remains a complex puzzle.
Solutions
Bridging the Gap: How Tiyara Turns Policy Into Possibility
Tiyara transforms vision into reality by nurturing the boundless hopes of Filipino youth, offering higher education not just as a privilege but as a lifeline toward a brighter future. We strive to open doors for under-resourced students to step into spaces of confidence, creativity, and possibility. We provide the tools, such as much-needed living expenses, books, and other resources, for vulnerable young people to shape their own stories. In doing so, Tiyara cultivates futures where education becomes a steady light, guiding each learner toward independence, socio-economic strength, and a voice that resonates within their communities and beyond.
You can see our impact for yourself by reading the inspiring stories of our Tiyara graduates. These students overcame financial struggles and personal challenges, and today they are creating meaningful change in their families and communities. Their journeys are living proof that access to education can transform lives.
Digital Pathways: Bringing the Classroom to Every Barangay
The digital age offers hopeful, practical solutions to bridge education gaps in the Philippines, especially in remote barangays where schools and resources are scarce. With tools like mobile learning apps, online classrooms, and community Wi-Fi hubs, education can reach students far beyond traditional classrooms. Initiatives like DepEd Commons have already provided free online lessons to over 12 million learners.
While digital tools open new doors, many communities still face challenges like limited internet access, scarce technology, and low digital literacy. These barriers make it harder for students in rural areas to fully benefit from online learning. But there are simple ways to help: donating gadgets, supporting programs that expand internet access, or volunteering as an online mentor. Every effort brings quality education closer to the students who need it most.
Why It Matters: National Growth Begins With a Single Diploma
The brief history of the Philippine educational system reveals how classroom expansion has always paralleled economic bursts — from the Commonwealth period to today’s business‑process‑outsourcing boom. Analysts note that nations with broad college access enjoy higher per‑capita income and lower crime rates. Conversely, World Economic Forum data place the Philippines 56th for global competitiveness, citing gaps in workforce skills. Education is the lever that can vault us higher, and scholarships are the fulcrum.
A Thousand Islands, One Future
From Batanes to Tawi‑Tawi, children scribble essays about their futures as teachers, nurses, coders, and astronauts. They already possess the courage; what they lack is fuel. Tiyara invites you to light that fire.
How you can help:
Donate monthly to help alleviate education-related costs.
Share our resources on the differences in education between the US and the Philippines to spark dialogue in your network.
Request a 15-minute exploratory call by emailing info@tiyara.org
Every dollar, click, and conversation nudges the nation closer to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of inclusive, equitable education.
From Hope to Harvest
Education is the soil in which Filipino hopes take root. When we erase financial barriers to education, when we champion scholarships, when we kindle the spark of Philippine education, we raise up the whole archipelago. Tiyara stands ready — shoulder to shoulder with teachers, students, and visionaries — to plant the seeds of an enlightened, empowered nation. Join us in making dreams a reality and donate today!
At Tiyara, we seek to provide higher education scholarships that will make life-changing differences for under-resourced young women and men. Scholarships are also extended to young women and men who belong to indigenous populations living in remote areas or who have had their lives changed by discrimination because of crimes committed by a family member, or have lost a family member to a crime, and those who face discrimination because of their caste.
You can help make dreams come true by providing education for Tiyara’s scholars and helping to put a deserving young person through college! In doing so, you’ll propel not just one student, but the global community toward a brighter, more equitable future.