DepEd continues to implement, strengthen its budget policies
By Roel Tibay
Published Aug 9, 2018 08:57 pm
By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
To be able to deal with the challenges that might be brought about by the new budgeting system for 2019, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it will continue to implement and strengthen its budget policies which contributed to its higher utilization rates in the recent years.
Leonor Briones (MB PHOTO/FEDERICO CRUZ / MANILA BULLETIN)
Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in a recent press briefing, noted that the implementation of the Annual Cash-Based Appropriations (ACBA) for the 2019 national budget “is going to be very tough” given that departments would only be given budget for what they can accomplish in one year.
However, DepEd noted that it will be able to make the necessary budget adjustments due to the continued implementation of strengthened budget policies. For the Department, the year 2018 was also tagged as a “practice” year for the ACBA.
“Everyone concerned, from the Central Office, to the Regions, down to the schools, is operating as if there is only a year to implement projects — obligate our funds, deliver the goods and services for inspection, pay for the said goods and services, and delivery time to end-user,” DepEd said.
IMPROVED BUDGET UTILIZATION
Briones said that DepEd has significantly improved its budget utilization and its delivery of education services and resources in the past years.
“Our continued investments in basic education, including the sustained implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program, also contributed to the interest of more learners to continue being in school, to pursue learning, and to persist in attaining goals for themselves and for the country,” Briones said.
A three-year period analysis of DepEd’s budget utilization yielded a steady improvement from 88% in 2015, 90% in 2016, to 97% in 2017. This improved performance, Briones said, is attributed to program and financial management, procurement process reforms, and strategic interventions which include early downloading of funds to implementing units, strict and continuous monitoring and reporting of the use of funds, the roll-out of multi-year guidelines to fast-track implementation of programs and activities, the creation of a Fiscal Reforms Committee (FRC) to lead in addressing change management in finance services, and the reconstitution of six Bids and Awards Committees (BACs), among others.
“Created at the policy level, these initiatives were meant to help address long time bottlenecks, challenges, and constraints within the Department,” Briones said. For 2019, DepEd is “strengthening these reforms to rise to the same-year delivery challenge brought about by ACBA.”
ON TO THE RIGHT PATH
Citing its accomplishments in the recent years, DepEd expressed confidence that it will continue to “provide better access to quality basic education to more Filipino learners.”
DepEd data showed that in 2017, it has served a total of 26.9 million learners: 26.3 million learners enrolled in public and private schools, and 641,584 learners under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) – surpassing the target enrolment for Kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education.
The Department also cited a higher participation rate in 2017 for Kindergarten increased from 65% (2016) to 84% (2017); and for Junior High School from 74% (2016) to 76% (2017). “Furthermore, Transition Rate from Grade 10 to Grade 11 reached 93.3% compared to the Transition Rate from 4th year high school to college at less than 50% prior to the implementation of Senior High School (SHS),” DepEd said.
DepEd also noted that by “making the learning environment more conducive and modern,” crucial basic education facilities and resources are improved, thus, from July 2016 to June 2018, 22,133 classrooms and 1,309 Technical-Vocational (Tech-Voc) laboratories were constructed; and 82,725 sets of schools seats (one set includes 45 seats, one teacher’s chair and table) were delivered. As of end of December 2017, 68.6 million textbooks and instructional materials were printed and delivered to schools nationwide.
These, DepEd said, contributed to the improved basic ratios: Teacher-to-learner ratio from 1:32 (2016) to 1:31 (2017) for elementary and from 1:26 (2016) to 1:25 (2017) for secondary; Classroom-to-learner ratio from 1:35 (2016) to 1:33 (2017) for elementary and from 1:43 (2016) to 1:36 (2017) for secondary.
DepEd noted that for school year 2017-2018, a total of 977,318 junior high school grantees and around 1.29 million SHS grantees were able to enroll in private schools through the Education Service Contracting (ESC) and the SHS Voucher Program, respectively.
“The end of the school year also saw more than 1.2 million learners, the first batch of SHS, graduate,” DepEd said. “Those who chose to seek employment following graduation gained better prospects compared with the previous graduates of high school due to work immersion – a key element of the K to 12 curriculum, while those who took the Tech-Voc Livelihood track and acquired national certification from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have better employment opportunities,” it added.
DepEd believes that with the education sector still enjoying the national budget’s lion’s share in 2019, it will remain committed “to promoting and providing quality and relevant basic education that is accessible to all.”
Earlier, DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla explained that for fiscal year (FY) 2019, the National Expenditure Program (NEP) level for DepEd – OSEC including Retirement and Life Insurance Premium or RLIP) amounts to P527.714 billion or 72.06 % of the proposed DepEd budget of P732.280 billion.
Sevilla noted that the 2019 NEP-level for DepEd amounting to P527.714 billion is 8.92% lower than the 2018 DepEd GAA P579.419 billion. The lower DepEd budget for 2019, she explained, is “consistent with the lower total proposed National Budget of P3.757 trillion.” The 2019 NEP is 0.27%, or P10 billion lower compared to the 2018 GAA of P3.767 trillion.
Leonor Briones (MB PHOTO/FEDERICO CRUZ / MANILA BULLETIN)
Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in a recent press briefing, noted that the implementation of the Annual Cash-Based Appropriations (ACBA) for the 2019 national budget “is going to be very tough” given that departments would only be given budget for what they can accomplish in one year.
However, DepEd noted that it will be able to make the necessary budget adjustments due to the continued implementation of strengthened budget policies. For the Department, the year 2018 was also tagged as a “practice” year for the ACBA.
“Everyone concerned, from the Central Office, to the Regions, down to the schools, is operating as if there is only a year to implement projects — obligate our funds, deliver the goods and services for inspection, pay for the said goods and services, and delivery time to end-user,” DepEd said.
IMPROVED BUDGET UTILIZATION
Briones said that DepEd has significantly improved its budget utilization and its delivery of education services and resources in the past years.
“Our continued investments in basic education, including the sustained implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program, also contributed to the interest of more learners to continue being in school, to pursue learning, and to persist in attaining goals for themselves and for the country,” Briones said.
A three-year period analysis of DepEd’s budget utilization yielded a steady improvement from 88% in 2015, 90% in 2016, to 97% in 2017. This improved performance, Briones said, is attributed to program and financial management, procurement process reforms, and strategic interventions which include early downloading of funds to implementing units, strict and continuous monitoring and reporting of the use of funds, the roll-out of multi-year guidelines to fast-track implementation of programs and activities, the creation of a Fiscal Reforms Committee (FRC) to lead in addressing change management in finance services, and the reconstitution of six Bids and Awards Committees (BACs), among others.
“Created at the policy level, these initiatives were meant to help address long time bottlenecks, challenges, and constraints within the Department,” Briones said. For 2019, DepEd is “strengthening these reforms to rise to the same-year delivery challenge brought about by ACBA.”
ON TO THE RIGHT PATH
Citing its accomplishments in the recent years, DepEd expressed confidence that it will continue to “provide better access to quality basic education to more Filipino learners.”
DepEd data showed that in 2017, it has served a total of 26.9 million learners: 26.3 million learners enrolled in public and private schools, and 641,584 learners under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) – surpassing the target enrolment for Kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education.
The Department also cited a higher participation rate in 2017 for Kindergarten increased from 65% (2016) to 84% (2017); and for Junior High School from 74% (2016) to 76% (2017). “Furthermore, Transition Rate from Grade 10 to Grade 11 reached 93.3% compared to the Transition Rate from 4th year high school to college at less than 50% prior to the implementation of Senior High School (SHS),” DepEd said.
DepEd also noted that by “making the learning environment more conducive and modern,” crucial basic education facilities and resources are improved, thus, from July 2016 to June 2018, 22,133 classrooms and 1,309 Technical-Vocational (Tech-Voc) laboratories were constructed; and 82,725 sets of schools seats (one set includes 45 seats, one teacher’s chair and table) were delivered. As of end of December 2017, 68.6 million textbooks and instructional materials were printed and delivered to schools nationwide.
These, DepEd said, contributed to the improved basic ratios: Teacher-to-learner ratio from 1:32 (2016) to 1:31 (2017) for elementary and from 1:26 (2016) to 1:25 (2017) for secondary; Classroom-to-learner ratio from 1:35 (2016) to 1:33 (2017) for elementary and from 1:43 (2016) to 1:36 (2017) for secondary.
DepEd noted that for school year 2017-2018, a total of 977,318 junior high school grantees and around 1.29 million SHS grantees were able to enroll in private schools through the Education Service Contracting (ESC) and the SHS Voucher Program, respectively.
“The end of the school year also saw more than 1.2 million learners, the first batch of SHS, graduate,” DepEd said. “Those who chose to seek employment following graduation gained better prospects compared with the previous graduates of high school due to work immersion – a key element of the K to 12 curriculum, while those who took the Tech-Voc Livelihood track and acquired national certification from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have better employment opportunities,” it added.
DepEd believes that with the education sector still enjoying the national budget’s lion’s share in 2019, it will remain committed “to promoting and providing quality and relevant basic education that is accessible to all.”
Earlier, DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla explained that for fiscal year (FY) 2019, the National Expenditure Program (NEP) level for DepEd – OSEC including Retirement and Life Insurance Premium or RLIP) amounts to P527.714 billion or 72.06 % of the proposed DepEd budget of P732.280 billion.
Sevilla noted that the 2019 NEP-level for DepEd amounting to P527.714 billion is 8.92% lower than the 2018 DepEd GAA P579.419 billion. The lower DepEd budget for 2019, she explained, is “consistent with the lower total proposed National Budget of P3.757 trillion.” The 2019 NEP is 0.27%, or P10 billion lower compared to the 2018 GAA of P3.767 trillion.