Being the first in the family to pursue higher education is a major social transition for many young Filipinos. It can be an alienating experience to navigate campus life without a built-in roadmap leading to significant hurdles for FirstGen students to gain and retain educational access.
Access to higher education is often understood in economic terms. While livelihood support is important to increase educational equity, it struggles to sufficiently address challenging social dimensions of FirstGen (FG) students. Strengthening their sense of belonging, participation, and orientation in Iloilo City is at the core of Project FirstGen.
Gaining insights into higher education access for FG students in the Philippines is challenged by the lack of statistical tracking of their enrollment and graduation rates. Capturing economic factors that are often indicative of FG students, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) showcased that less than 2% of all 4Ps SHS graduates continued to enroll in higher education since 2024. International studies demonstrate that FG students are not only less likely to enroll, they also struggle more in attaining good grades, have higher drop-out rates, participate less in extra-curricular activities and build fewer relationships with their peers. Despite comprehensive economic support in Germany, being the first in the family to study is still the most dominant factor determining academic participation and success. Only 20% of German FG students attain their bachelor degree in comparison to 80% of students from an academic household.
Project FirstGen seeks out partnerships with HEIs to appraise, pilot, and establish a civil society organization (CSO) dedicated to addressing the social dimension of higher education equity in Iloilo City. It aims at implementing context-sensitive and partner-based projects including capacity-building, peer-mentoring, and reflection sessions. By cooperating to implement PFG’s comprehensive Roadmap, local HEIs can demonstrate their dedication to increase higher education equity in Iloilo City.
Appraising, Piloting, Establishing
Addressing the social dimension of FG students in Iloilo City requires a structured process centering learning and relationship-building. This Roadmap showcases three phases to be implemented in 2026, which establish Project FirstGen as a local CSO dedicated to higher education equity.
The Appraisal Phase aims at identifying needs and challenges anchored in the social dimension of local FG students. In addition, relevant HEI staff will be engaged to identify their experiences in case they work with those students. This presents an opportunity to build relationships and identify a focal person for each HEI.
Willing partner institutions are then invited to cooperate in piloting capacity-building sessions for committed local FG students. The sessions intend to strengthen the students’ understanding of mentoring tools through reflection and experimentation. They will also be introduced to the concept of higher education equity and how it relates to their social dimension as FG students.
Building on previous learnings and the initial mentor cohort, PFG shall be established as a local CSO. Its board shall be co-founded with interested HEI partners. As a registered organization, PFG can seek funding and formalize partnerships to develop a FirstGen mentoring pool that allows for a sustainable cycle of mentoring by FG students for FG students. Further projects to increase higher education equity in Iloilo City shall be explored as well.
Project FirstGen Philippines 