CRC/C/15/Add.259 page 17 vulnerable groups of children, such as children living in poverty, children with disabilities, child labourers, children in armed conflict, indigenous children, children infected with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS and street children, without equal access to elementary education. The Committee is concerned that the costs of schooling, such as meals, transportation, school uniforms and supplies, cause financial obstacles to many children from poor families and deny their equal access to education. The high rate of children not completing primary education gives cause for serious concern as well as the high drop-out rates in secondary education. The Committee also notes a low number of children enjoying early learning in preschools. 69. The Committee is encouraged by the State party’s efforts to promote indigenous, minority and local languages in education including, inter alia, through the Lingua Franca Project. The Committee is concerned about poor schooling facilities, particularly in the remote barangays, including the insufficient number of classroom seats, textbooks and other schooling supplies. It reiterates its concern about the low rate of enrolment in secondary education and that children living in the remote barangays have very limited access to secondary education. The Committee notes with appreciation that the State party has made intense efforts to improve the quality of education by increasing the time spent on task and teaching methods that encourage children’s participation. It also welcomes the expansion and improvement of pre-service and in-service teacher training. The Committee also recognizes the attempts to regularly monitor and evaluate the quality of education. 70. In the light of articles 28 and 29 of the Convention and the Committee’s general comment No. 1 (2001) on the aims of education, the Committee recommends that the State party allocate adequate financial, human and technical resources in order to: (a) Increase budgetary allocations, governmental subsidies and assistance programmes for children from low-income families in order to secure their equal access to education of all levels; (b) Urgently take all necessary measures to ensure universal and free primary education for all and pay particular attention to the schooling opportunities in the most remote barangays and to the educational needs of children belonging to vulnerable groups, such as children living in poverty, children with disabilities, indigenous children, child labourers, children in armed conflict, children infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS and street children, in order to fulfil their right to education; (c) Adopt effective measures to rapidly decrease the drop-out rate in primary and secondary school; (d) Provide access to early childhood education for every child making it affordable for poor families and raise awareness of the benefits of preschools and early-learning opportunities among parents; (e) Develop and upgrade the infrastructure of the educational system by building new schools and classrooms, developing textbooks and other school supplies, enhancing teacher training and adopting innovative and interactive learning methods tailored for children with different learning prerequisites;