ANOTHER BOARD PASSER

This is Gerald Escalona one of the faithful members of our daughter church in JOHN 14:12 FAIRVIEW. He passed the Criminology Board Exam. He is among the youth of our church who have graduated from college, some with the help of the sponsorship program and others like him are the parents' own effort. There are many other young people like them who want to go to school and finish college, but not fulfilled due to financial problems.

According to figures from the Department of Education, 1 in 6 Filipino kids will not attend school, and only 7 out of 10 kids will complete elementary school. Of those seven children, only four will complete high school education, and of those 4, just one will proceed onto the university.

One of the most common financial problems for high school and college students is not having a budget. Financial problem faced by student are known as they do not have enough money for their daily expenses, where money worries is causing them to stress. Money are important in the world today, however the problem is that "some people" have lots of it, and "most people" have less than enough.

Due to lack of proper education, many Filipino children take to the streets to fend for themselves and their families. They are searching for a means of survival. These children see prostitution and other forms of harmful activities as an easy route out of their current predicament.

Another concern about lack of proper education in the Philippines is child trafficking. This is a major concern for the government to protect the children.

Children from low-income families often spend most of their time on the streets. Instead of getting proper classroom education, they engage with harmful activities on the streets. A recent study by experts shows that up to 40% of street children had used drugs in the past. Other reports suggest that 66- 85% of children had used inhalants, and 3% had used marijuana.

Most parents that are unable to meet up with the financial needs of their children often send them out to work on the streets, malls or factories. Instead of striving for better education to help shape their future, these children are forced to start earning money for their food and shelter at an earlier age.

We, as a church, we believe that education is very important for a better future. So to every young people in our church who is able to finish their studies in High School and College our hearts rejoice in them..