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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Group urges lawmakers to amend education budget

Group urges lawmakers to amend education budget

Published Aug 30, 2023 11:07 am

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines on Wednesday, Aug. 30, urged lawmakers to amend the proposed 2024 budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) in order "to address persistent shortages, redirect misallocations, and ensure transparent and efficient fund utilization."

TEACHERS
(DepEd file photo)


The group issued the statement following the House of Representatives’ deliberation on DepEd's proposed 2024 budget, which the group referred to as having "immense education shortages."

"The extent of the education shortages includes shortages in teachers, education support personnel, classrooms, school facilities, and learning at teaching resources," ACT said.

ACT also said that the allocated budget for education, which is only 3.5 percent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP), is "significantly lower" than the United Nations (UN) standard of 6 percent in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024.

"Following DepEd's 28 million projected enrollees for the school year 2023-2024, the gravity of classroom shortage has even worsened,” the group said.

Given this, the group urged the Congress to ensure the appropriations in the funding for the construction of 50,000 classrooms annually until 2028 to eradicate classroom shortage.

Meanwhile, ACT said the implementation of the MATATAG curriculum for school year 2023-2024 is "unresponsive to the actual needs and runs counter to the aim in addressing the learning crisis."

The group pointed out that there was no comprehensive learning assessment conducted and no democratic and broad-based discussions made prior to curricular changes


READ: https://mb.com.ph/2023/8/15/teachers-welcome-the-matatag-curriculum-urge-dep-ed-to-prioritize-their-welfare-too


"Confidential funds"

ACT also urged the lawmakers to look into the "dismal" state of the education system.

"The DepEd has proposed P150 million confidential funds with questionable basis as this allocation is in no way relevant to its mandate in ensuring quality education," it said.

The group pointed out that confidential funds must be redirected towards meaningful actions for effective education recovery, and fund utilization must be characterized by transparency and efficiency to maximize its impact on education delivery.

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Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Department of education (DepEd)
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