DepEd, teachers' groups decry P12-billion budget cut for 2025
The Department of Education (DepEd), along with teachers’ groups, decried the P12-billion budget cut for 2025, warning of its “severe” impact on students' access to quality education.
“We are saddened to learn that both Houses of Congress have decided to decrease by P12 billion the budget the President proposed for DepEd for 2025,” said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.
Angara noted that this reduction in DepEd’s budget “reverses a trend in recent years where Congress has added even more to the education budget,” except for one year during the pandemic.
In separate statements issued on Dec. 13, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines and the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) also denounced the budget cut for 2025.
TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas said the decision to slash P12 billion from DepEd’s budget for next year amidst the ongoing learning crisis “starkly contradicts” the government’s commitment to prioritizing education, as mandated by the Constitution.
Basas noted that Angara’s dismay over the budget cut is a “sentiment that resonates with stakeholders across the education sector who have tirelessly advocated for increased support to address persistent deficiencies in our schools.”
ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua also denounced the cut in DepEd’s 2025 budget following the bicameral conference committee's reconciliation of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Quetua raised concerns about the “massive increase in unprogrammed appropriations, infrastructure, congressional and presidential funds, and defense spending.”
Widening digital divide
Angara specifically expressed concern about the P10-billion cut from the proposed 2025 computerization program of the DepEd. He noted that this “could have funded thousands of computers [or] gadgets for our public school children.”
“The digital divide will widen,” he warned.
Angara emphasized that while infrastructure is important, “investing in our people and human capital” should also be prioritized.
TDC echoed Angara’s sentiment, noting that “investing in education is investing in the future.”
Basas described the P10-billion cut from the DepEd Computerization Program as a “disservice” to Filipino learners.
“This program could have provided the needed gadgets and technology to bridge the digital divide, which became glaringly evident during the pandemic,” Basas said. “By deprioritizing this initiative, Congress risks exacerbating existing inequalities and leaving millions of students unprepared for the demands of a modern, technology-driven world,” he added.
ACT also criticized the reduction in the computerization program's budget.
“This substantial budget cut, particularly in DepEd's computerization program, will severely impact our students' access to digital resources and widen the already massive digital divide among learners,” Quetua said. “How can we achieve DepEd's vision of developing 21st-century learners when funding for digital education is being slashed?” he added.
Learning crisis and overworked teachers
Basas pointed out that the “learning crisis” in the country, marked by poor performance in international assessments, overcrowded classrooms, insufficient facilities and learning materials, and inadequate teacher support, “demands urgent action.”
“Substantial resources must be allocated to address the backlog of classrooms, improve facilities, provide essential learning materials, and ensure that every learner has access to quality education and modern tools,” Basas said.
He also noted that the budget reduction would deal “another blow” to the welfare of teachers, who are already “overworked, underpaid, and often forced to shoulder classroom expenses out of their own pockets” due to insufficient government support.
“Our teachers, who ensure the daily operation of DepEd, are often neglected, particularly when it comes to their calls for substantial salary increases, better working conditions, professional development, and other rights and benefits,” he said.
Address genuine needs in education
Basas reiterated that teachers and learners are the “lifeblood of the education system,” yet their welfare is often “sidelined in favor of programs with limited impact or, at times, purely controversial.”
TDC urged stakeholders to unite in demanding a higher education budget that “genuinely addresses” the sector's needs.
“The welfare of teachers, who form the backbone of the system, and learners, who represent its future, must never be compromised,” Basas said.
ACT noted that the final version of the GAB “does not reflect the genuine and urgent needs of the education sector and the Filipino people.”
The group urged the Marcos administration to address the chronic underfunding in education by allocating a budget equivalent to six percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as recommended by international standards.
“The government should prioritize addressing the extensive shortages in basic education needs and resolving the worsening learning crisis,” Quetua said.
TDC emphasized that the government must recognize that investing in education is not merely a “constitutional obligation but a moral imperative.”
“Neglecting education will have far-reaching consequences, undermining national development and competitiveness for generations to come,” Basas said. “It is time for Congress and the executive branch to revisit their priorities and ensure that education receives the funding it so desperately needs,” he added.
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