Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

It’s back to school once again.

For most children, the first day of school is a day of excitement. For parents, it is a day of both worry and hope.

During my visits to different communities over the years, the parents I have met often share the same wish: for their children to finish school and have opportunities that were not always available to them.

Though they come from different backgrounds and have different stories, they share the same dream—a better future for their children.

That dream has always made education deeply personal for many Filipino families.

It is not surprising that even during difficult times, parents continue to find ways to keep their children in school. They make sacrifices quietly. Some postpone purchases they need for themselves. Others take on additional work. Many simply learn to stretch whatever resources they have.

As a long-time public servant, these parents remind me why education deserves our continued attention.

The Constitution mandates that education be given the highest priority in the national budget. Beyond constitutional provisions and budget documents, however, education matters for one simple reason: it gives every child the fair chance they deserve.

A child in a remote town should have the same opportunity to learn as a child born in Metro Manila. A family’s income should not determine the limits of a young person’s aspirations.

While government cannot solve every problem overnight, it has the responsibility to create conditions that nurture the minds of children throughout the country.

This belief guided us at the Department of Budget and Management when we prepared and proposed the FY 2026 National Budget early last year.

Among all sectors, education continued to receive the largest share of resources. In fact, the proposed allocation for basic and higher education reached ₱1.224 trillion, equivalent to four percent of Gross Domestic Product. For the first time, our education spending met UNESCO’s recommended benchmark.

Of this amount, ₱928.52 billion was allocated to the Department of Education, ₱134.99 billion for State Universities and Colleges, ₱34 billion for the Commission on Higher Education, and ₱20.24 billion for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

I remember being asked about the significance of these figures. To me, the answer goes beyond percentages.

A budget figure becomes meaningful only when it translates into something people experience in their daily lives—a new classroom that gives learners adequate space, the repair of a typhoon-damaged school building, additional learning materials, better facilities, or greater access to education for young Filipinos who wish to continue their studies.

These are the things that matter. These are the improvements that can meaningfully change people’s lives.

Over the years, I have often said that education is not only about developing human capital. It is also about building the infrastructure that allows learning to thrive.

Anyone who has visited public schools across the country understands why.

Learning is easier when classrooms are safe and comfortable. Teachers are able to do more when facilities are adequate. Students benefit when schools have the tools they need to support learning.

Of course, buildings alone cannot educate a child.

At the center of every school are the teachers and non-teaching personnel who show up every day despite challenges that are often unseen by the public. Many spend their own time and resources preparing lessons, mentoring students, and guiding children who need extra encouragement.

Their contribution cannot be measured solely in numbers.

The same is true for parents and guardians.

Long before any government assistance reaches a learner, families are already making investments of their own—through hard work, patience, and countless small sacrifices that rarely make headlines.

When I think about education, I think about these people as much as I think about policies and programs.

They are the reason government continues to prioritize learning.

As another school year begins, there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead. There always are.

Yet there is also reason to be hopeful.

Across the country, millions of young Filipinos are once again opening books, entering classrooms, and taking another step toward their future. Many of them may not fully realize it yet, but they carry with them the hopes of their families, their communities, and, in many ways, our nation as well.

Beyond budget, education is one of the clearest expressions of our faith in the future. By investing in school buildings, teachers’ salaries, scholarships, and learning facilities, we show that the next generation deserves—and is being given—the opportunity to succeed.

As Citizen Mina, I have always believed that one of the most hopeful sights in our country is a child walking through a school gate, ready to learn. In that child are dreams waiting to be fulfilled, talents waiting to be developed, and possibilities waiting to unfold.

Our task is to keep opening doors so that those dreams have every chance to become reality.

(Amenah F. Pangandaman is the former Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management.)