International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

Intelligent, witty, enthusiastic, are three words that generally describe the young people of Ilocos Norte. This paper presented the various education-related programs of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. It specifically aimed to discuss the initiatives of the government in meeting the targets under the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and in helping Filipino students achieve their educational aspirations. The 2012 survey revealed that the province’s enrolment rates of children aged 6-12 and 13-16 are 85.3% and 76.5%, respectively. These data showed a gap between the actual rate and the ideal 100% participation rate as expected in the MDG on primary education. Challenged by the existence of this gap and driven by the desire to improve the performance of Ilocos Norte along this MDG target, the government has taken steps to ensure universal education for the Ilocano youth. These initiatives include a comprehensive scholarship program in the elementary, high school, and college levels, extensive school improvement, teacher empowerment, and subsidy for basic school resources and utilities, and transportation subsidies. It used the descriptive research design with the purpose of elaborating the details of the various projects in education.