Lower funding for new school buildings a challenge - DepEd
Published Jan 8, 2020 12:00 am
By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
The Department of Education (DepEd) has called attention on the impact of the decrease in funding for basic education inputs program –particularly on the construction of new school buildings and the goal to reduce the size of classes.
Department of Education (MANILA BULLETIN)
DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Service and Education Programs Delivery Unit Annalyn Sevilla confirmed that some of its programs were given lower allocation in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. In particular, the agency fears that the decrease in funding for new construction of school buildings would greatly affect its goal of lowering class sizes in various grade levels.
Congestion in many public schools –especially in urban areas – has been a perennial challenge to DepEd every school year. For School Year (SY) 2019-2020, DepEd welcomed approximately 27.2 million Kindergarten to Grade 12 learners both in public and private schools. Based on the DepEd data in the recent years, enrollment has been increasing steadily every school opening.
In the past years, DepEd has been seeking ways to further improve teacher-to-student ratio in public schools. “With enrollment in public schools increasing every year, achieving the optimum teacher to student ratio will ensure quality teaching and learning in class,” DepEd said in an earlier statement.
Since 2016, DepEd has lowered the teacher-to-student ratio to 1:35 for elementary and 1:43 for secondary schools to enable teachers to better respond to the varying learning needs of their students. According to DepEd Undersecretary for Planning and Field Operations Jesus Mateo, the teacher-student ratio is 1:31 for the elementary level, 1:36 for Junior High School level, and 1:31 for Senior High School level for School Year 2017-2018.
However, the decrease in funding for Basic Education Inputs program in the 2020 budget – particularly for the new construction of school buildings – DepEd expresses concern that the required number of classrooms for learners in the coming years may not be enough.
Lower funding for construction of new classrooms, DepEd said, is a “huge challenge to the department as it will adversely affect the programming of a lower classroom to students ratio for the coming school years.”
DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua, in an earlier interview, said that the agency was hoping for a higher budget allocation in the 2020 national budget especially in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Mindanao which totally damaged hundreds of schools.
Pascua noted that that in the last two years, DepEd’s school building funds is “not that high” and has been “reduced” because the government also has other top priorities that the funds for educational facilities are re-channeled for these projects.
He noted that for 2020, DepEd asked for 64,000 classrooms “because we would like to fulfill the requirement for classrooms for the next two years” wherein DepEd would need 156,000 to 200,000 classrooms for public schools.
Sevilla said that DepEd continues to wait for specific details of the final GAA 2020. While there is decrease in funds of the new construction of school buildings for 2020, DepEd welcomed the “significant increases” in funding in some of its major programs.
In particular, a higher funding was given to the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program which will assure the continuity of the SHS program under the K to 12; increase in the funding of the “Last Mile Schools” program which aims to address the gaps in resources and facilities of schools that are located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA); and higher funding for Human Resource Development for Personnel in Schools and Learning Centers which will capacitate both teaching and non-teaching employees of the department.
Following the approval of the 2020 budget, DepEd also welcomed the inclusion of the salary increase for teaching and non-teaching employees of the Department effective this January.
Department of Education (MANILA BULLETIN)
DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Service and Education Programs Delivery Unit Annalyn Sevilla confirmed that some of its programs were given lower allocation in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020. In particular, the agency fears that the decrease in funding for new construction of school buildings would greatly affect its goal of lowering class sizes in various grade levels.
Congestion in many public schools –especially in urban areas – has been a perennial challenge to DepEd every school year. For School Year (SY) 2019-2020, DepEd welcomed approximately 27.2 million Kindergarten to Grade 12 learners both in public and private schools. Based on the DepEd data in the recent years, enrollment has been increasing steadily every school opening.
In the past years, DepEd has been seeking ways to further improve teacher-to-student ratio in public schools. “With enrollment in public schools increasing every year, achieving the optimum teacher to student ratio will ensure quality teaching and learning in class,” DepEd said in an earlier statement.
Since 2016, DepEd has lowered the teacher-to-student ratio to 1:35 for elementary and 1:43 for secondary schools to enable teachers to better respond to the varying learning needs of their students. According to DepEd Undersecretary for Planning and Field Operations Jesus Mateo, the teacher-student ratio is 1:31 for the elementary level, 1:36 for Junior High School level, and 1:31 for Senior High School level for School Year 2017-2018.
However, the decrease in funding for Basic Education Inputs program in the 2020 budget – particularly for the new construction of school buildings – DepEd expresses concern that the required number of classrooms for learners in the coming years may not be enough.
Lower funding for construction of new classrooms, DepEd said, is a “huge challenge to the department as it will adversely affect the programming of a lower classroom to students ratio for the coming school years.”
DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua, in an earlier interview, said that the agency was hoping for a higher budget allocation in the 2020 national budget especially in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Mindanao which totally damaged hundreds of schools.
Pascua noted that that in the last two years, DepEd’s school building funds is “not that high” and has been “reduced” because the government also has other top priorities that the funds for educational facilities are re-channeled for these projects.
He noted that for 2020, DepEd asked for 64,000 classrooms “because we would like to fulfill the requirement for classrooms for the next two years” wherein DepEd would need 156,000 to 200,000 classrooms for public schools.
Sevilla said that DepEd continues to wait for specific details of the final GAA 2020. While there is decrease in funds of the new construction of school buildings for 2020, DepEd welcomed the “significant increases” in funding in some of its major programs.
In particular, a higher funding was given to the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program which will assure the continuity of the SHS program under the K to 12; increase in the funding of the “Last Mile Schools” program which aims to address the gaps in resources and facilities of schools that are located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged and conflict-affected areas (GIDCA); and higher funding for Human Resource Development for Personnel in Schools and Learning Centers which will capacitate both teaching and non-teaching employees of the department.
Following the approval of the 2020 budget, DepEd also welcomed the inclusion of the salary increase for teaching and non-teaching employees of the Department effective this January.