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Learning Poverty and The Future of Human Capital
by Jeanrick Nuñez
So what?
So what?
The Philippines currently has a “demographic dividend” where its working-age population (15 to 64 years old) outnumbers its dependent population. Projected to continue in the next 25 to 30 years, this transition provides the Philippines a human capital advantage. Increased workforce can certainly boost economic growth, assuming that our systems are poised to harness this opportunity.
With appropriate educational and skills development pathways, this massive talent pipeline could be trained to participate in key industry sectors that can drive growth for the Philippines, such as advanced manufacturing, digital technology, healthcare, financial services, and tourism (EDCOM II, 2026). As these sectors evolve, they are likely to demand strong foundational skills, high-value technical competencies, and enhanced learning agility compounded by the advent of technologies like AI.
However, given the alarming learning losses among the youth—largely due to a broken educational system and exacerbated by the Covid 19 pandemic lockdowns—the country is at risk of squandering its demographic advantage. According to the World Bank, 9 out of 10 Filipino students aged 10 and below cannot read and understand texts that are appropriate to their age (De Vera, 2021). The Philippines also ranked 76th in Math and Reading and 79th in Science out of 81 participating countries in the 2022 PISA results (OECD, 2023). According to the EDCOM 2, it will take at least ten years to fix this learning gap.
Failing to reverse this educational deficit risks the future of human capital and the economic potential of the Philippines. In fact, the World Literacy Foundation found that the problem of illiteracy already costs the country's economy an estimated Php 258 billion or $4.72 billion every year (Chi, 2023). Without substantial learning recovery within this short demographic window, the nation’s economic potential is bound to be undermined as a poorly educated workforce struggling to meet the demands of a competitive global market.
What if?
What if?
What if among the futures of education, one scenario features the government’s failure to address the current learning poverty, impacting the country's ability to capitalize on its young workforce in the coming decades?
What would living in this version of the future look like and feel like? What would education look like in such a future?
How are we called to respond to this possible future scenario in the here and now?
Reference
Reference
Chi, C. (2023, April 3). New report shows drastic economic impact of illiteracy on the Philippines. Philstar.com. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/04/03/2256606/new-report-shows-drastic-economic-impact-illiteracy-philippines
De Vera, B. O. (2021, November 20). WB: 9 out of 10 PH kids age 10 can’t read. INQUIRER.net.https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1517494/wb-9-out-of-10-ph-kids-age-10-cant-read
OECD. (2023, December 4). Philippines. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/philippines_a0882a2d-en.html
Second Congressional Commission on Education. (2026). Workforce development plan. EDCOM II. https://edcom2.gov.ph/publications/workforce-development-plan/
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