ACCORDING to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), one out of three Filipino children is stunted, which means they are small for their age. This does not only mean smaller bodies but also a slower development of their mental faculties.

This is one reason for the dismal showing of our schoolchildren in the 2022 Program for International Assessment (PISA) survey. Our students lagged behind other countries in mathematics, science and reading proficiency. They are six years behind that of the average learner in other countries.