Cotobato City – At least 18,546 school age Moro children have been forced to quit studying because of the conflict in Mindanao between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The children have likewise joined their parents as internally displaced persons (IDPs) or evacuees, living in evacuation centers that have little or no amenities at all, relying only on government dole-outs and assistance from international donor agencies.

Majority of the children who are out of school came from some villages in Maguindanao Province.

In the town of Datu Piang alone, the Department of Education (DepEd) in Maguindanao recorded about that 3,000 school children were affected by the fighting.

A statement from the Bureau of Public Information of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BPI-ARMM) said the figures were disclosed during a recent visit to Maguindanao of Vanessa Tobin, representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to the Philippines.

Tobin met with representatives of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd), Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), all of Maguindanao, officers of non-government organizations helping the IDPs in the province.

She underscored the importance of providing early education for the children. “As vanguard for children’s rights, we must guarantee support to children and refuge for children. Let us provide for (their) early learning. I will be here frequently to help you in this effort,” said Tobin.