Whenever I go home to my province in Batangas, I make it a point to do different activities that I can’t normally do here in Manila.
Activities like mountain biking to the open tundra field.
Catching up with the local farmers and eating some of their fresh produce.
And taking a glimpse of the sunset at the beach before calling it a day.

Another thing that I take pleasure doing is going to a Public School.
Whenever I get the chance, I bring my niece (daughter of my sister-in-law) Jillian to school. Whenever I’m inside their campus, I don’t leave the premises like most of the parents and guardians whose main purpose is to escort their kids to school.
I stay behind and eager to observe all the activities that are going on in that school. The one thing that I got an eyeful of is that most of the students have one thing in common… all of them have this positive “Energy”.
They are full of life, active and oozing with optimism.

My niece Jillian (picture on extreme left) is 7 years of age. All of her batchmates are all energetic and have a ceaseless power that never runs out of battery.
They are so focused and ambitious. I never sense any negativity on them.

That is just one public school in a small town in Batangas. There are more of these kids on different parts of the country.
As a matter of fact, there are about 23 million students that are enrolled in public schools today.
That doesn’t even include the out-of-school youth which is overflowing in every province of the Philippines.

Imagine what these 23 million students could bring fortune to our economy.
Unfortunately, that theory still remains a dream.
Sadly, most of these kids will grow up unemployed and dependent either to their parents and/or our government.

It’s sad but it is all true. Our country is facing more problems rather than solutions. Poor Education and Overpopulation is one of the biggest problems that we are facing even until now.

Our public schools are generally underfunded. They are notoriously overcrowded, especially in poor urban areas.
They lack basic supplies (such as chairs, tables, and textbooks).
I don’t have a solid data to back this up but I believe there are about 5,000 primary and secondary schools with no access to electricity.
Just imagine how hard is that for students to learn.

There is also a severe shortage of public school teachers, and these underpaid educators are overworked and forced to manage 100 or more students cramped in one classroom.

This is one major reason why our country still remains a 3rd world country.
We never get out of the hump. We are stuck in mediocrity. We never get to advanced.

Only the blessed 4 million students who are enrolled in private schools and a few students in public schools who are extremely talented and skilled get to help our economy by being the next great businessmen of their generation.

The Philippines should take advantage of its young population to effect change and ultimately end poverty.
That a lot of young people can make the difference.
Just look at the numbers… 23 million public school students. That’s a huge number!
They don’t have to take a master’s degree. Heck, they even don’t have to go to college. Some of them just need to get some skill in one department (like welding, cooking, farming, or any kind of business trade).
Just make them a contributor to our economy and that will suffice.
They don’t have to be the next great inventors of the world. All they need is just to be productive. This will help themselves, their family, and our country.

The good news is that the Philippine educational system is gradually improving.
The growing young population (50 percent of our population are below 23 years of age) are increasingly better educated.
There is still hope for our motherland. We can still make progress.

But we have to put in mind that the clock is ticking and we have to change the footprint we have in our country.
Jillian, my niece, is just one of the eager public school student that could drastically improve our economy.
Our public school teachers can not do it entirely on their own. They need our help.
Parents should be awakened that education stops after their kids get out of their campus. But schooling must not stop from there.
Parents can teach their children about their family business. Another option is encouraging their kids to join free club and organizations of their interests that can spark their future goals in life.

If each one of us contributes to at least helping and guiding 1 public student every year. Then most of these 23 million public school students have a better chance in not only making their personal career future bright, but also for them creating small businesses that will bring jobs and revenue to our economy that is craving for more than overseas remittance and BPO industry earnings.

If we do this, we will be the next Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.
Filipinos are known for their unique skills and talents.
They just lack the confidence and exposure in order for their voice to be heard.
Let’s help them to be heard… we never know that the poor kid from Romblon could be the next boxing sensation like Manny Pacquiao. Or the young girl from Negros could be the next Catriona Gray.

Jillian is just one of the public school students that I am guiding and harnessing until the time she harnesses her talents.
I strongly suggest that you do that too. Just visit a public school near you.
Look for a specific kid that you want help. Just be there and guide that student.
See them slowly glow in radiance as you gradually furnish their exceptional skills.

Dr. Jose Rizal once said that “The Youth is the Hope of our Future”!
That Future is Now. It has arrived!
It started when the time you chose to teach the 1 of the 23 million Filipino hopefuls.