GETTING TEACHER MIGRATION & MOBILITY RIGHT
It is imperative that migration policies consider the impact in source countries of the loss of service providers, many of whom are trained through public investment.
Examples of Labour Exporting Countries PHILIPPINES Research indicates that remittances improve the standard of living for the majority of families with migrant members.76 However, a review of poverty, education, and health indicators over time suggests that remittances alone have not been sufficient to spur broadbased development in the Philippines. To compound the concerns, there is evidence that the loss of nurses and teachers is hurting public health and education delivery. The Philippines is an important model to study, not just because of the volume of nurses and teachers it sends abroad, but also because the Philippine government has built an extensive bureaucratic infrastructure to facilitate the export of workers. An estimated one in seven Filipino workers works abroad77 and, by anyone’s measure, the Philippines has been tremendously successful in attracting remittances. The country now receives more than $1 billion per month in formally documented remittances. In the decade from 1998-2007, remittance flows into the Philippines nearly tripled, 78 demonstrating the effectiveness of the country’s labour export programmes and processes. However, an analysis of social indicators over the same period shows far less progress. The Philippines has the highest teacher-to-student ratio in Asia and in the greater Manila area it is possible to see 100 students or more in a single class.79 The often asserted premise that the Philippines has a surplus of teachers is misleading. Put another way, the Philippines does not have a shortage of teachers in the country, but rather has a shortage of teaching positions in the school system due to inadequate funding.80 More persuasive than the quantitative concerns about out-migration of teachers are the qualitative issues. The Philippines Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) is the primary
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Agunias, Remittances and Development, 2006. DeParle, “Good Provider is One Who Leaves”, 2007. Schelzig, Poverty in the Philippines, 2005. 79 Author school visits, Greater Manila, Philippines, June, 2009. 80 Author interviews, Manila, Philippines, June 2009. 77 78
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