More funding and resources will be poured in to the education system in the country in 2023 to ensure that Filipino learners are not left behind if presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo wins the presidency in May.
Speaking at the Mapúa University's Voters Education Forum 2022 on Friday, Jan. 28, Robredo detailed her plans to address the educational crisis the country is facing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"I strongly believe in pouring more resources, more funding, into our systems," Robredo said.
"Kung ayaw nating maging kulelat ang mga mag-aaral, kailangan hindi rin kulelat ang budget para sa edukasyon. Sisiguraduhin nating hindi ito bababa sa 18 percent ng buong pondo ng gobyerno sa 2023. Itataas natin sa 6 percent ng GDP—o lagpas isang trilyong piso—ang budget para dito pagdating sa 2024 (If we don't want our learners to perform badly, our budget in education should not also be in the bottom. We will make sure that this will not be lower than 18 percent of the 2023 national budget. We will make it 6 percent of the GDP —or more than P3 trillion—in 2024)," Robredo added.
This, the Vice President said, will be implemented once the pandemic is taken care of.
However, Robredo stressed, that while the country is still under the pandemic, opening the schools is among the initial various actions that must be done.
She said that she intends to craft a national system and protocols in conducting face-to-face classes. Local government units (LGU) will be part of the decision-making process on whether or not to allow the opening of schools in their areas.
The presidential aspirant also underscored supporting teachers by forming "communities of practice" for teachers, school heads, at school boards to enable them to craft "local strategies" for safe and continuous learning of the students.
Robredo also plans to tap school council and school boards in basic education and higher education in order to come up with a multisectoral council including the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), school heads, and LGUs.
"I have talked extensively about how the pandemic has severely affected our education system. Dama namin ito sa (We are aware of this in the) OVP even now, as we continue rolling out initiatives for helping communities keep up with the demands of distance and blended learning," Robredo said.
She stressed that the first course of action for the country's educational system is "addressing learning in this pandemic."