State-run schools in the Philippines are suffering from years of neglect and a lack of government investment.
 
Even though primary education is mandatory in the country, on average more than 40 per cent of students drop out before they finish high school. For those who do stay in school, there is often not enough teachers, classrooms or books.

The Philippines had spent just $138 on average for each of its school children in 2008.

As the lack of support for education unravels, the group Education Network is pushing harder for reform.

Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas reports from Manila on how the declining school system is trapping many Filipinos in a cycle of illiteracy and poverty.