The Department of Education (DepEd) will get a P606.6 billion budget under the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021 that was submitted to Congress.
In the presentation of DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla during the "Handang Isip, Handa Bukas" virtual press briefing on Monday, the education sector will get a huge chunk of the budget with an allocation of P754 billion. This is 8.8 percent higher than in 2020 which was pegged at P693 billion.
DepEd's P606.6 billion budget is also 9.54 percent higher than in 2020 which was P552.99 billion.
One of the expected outputs for 2021 will be 10,000 new teaching positions.
As of May 2020, there are 830,030 filled positions, there are also 10,000 allocated for this year, 244 of which are filled up.
Under the agency's voucher program next year, there will be 1,149,975 slots for Education Contracting Service Program; 1,366,197 slots for private Senior High School; 51,416 slots for Non-DepEd Public SHS; and 89,300 slots for Joint Delivery Voucher Program for SHS Technical Vocational Livelihood Specializations.
For learning tools and equipment in 2021, there will be 215,490 pieces of Technical Vocational and Livelihood equipment; and 7,730,038 pieces of Science and Mathematics Equipment.
DepEd also targets to construct next year 5,174 classrooms; rehabilitate and repair 10,444; provide 38,917 sets of furniture; and give electricity to 1,536 sites.
Under the agency's Computerization Program, it targets to provide 37,221 computer packages. According to Usec. Sevilla, it is one of the programs that got a significant increase at P4 billion.
She added that the agency is working to provide internet connection to schools, teachers and to learners under the Public Education Network. This is in coordination with the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and other agencies.
DepEd is also set to produce 4.39 million textbooks and other instructional materials for 2021. Usec. Sevilla said that Self-learning modules are under a different budget item.