K to 12 ups DepEd budget to P367 B

MANILA, Philippines - The impending implementation of the K to 12 program increased the budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) this year to P367.1 billion.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the 18.6 percent increase, up from last year’s P309.5 billion, will support the government’s thrust to improve access to quality education, including the implementation of the K to 12 program.

“We’re intensifying our drive to give the people more access to educational opportunities and setting up an environment that’s conducive to learning,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said in a statement.

Based on the 2015 DepEd budget, the government has allotted P53.9 billion for basic facilities to cover the construction of 31,728 classrooms and repair of another 9,500, construction of 13,586 water and sanitation facilities as well as 455 technical-vocational laboratories, and the procurement of 1.3 million chairs.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro earlier said that over 30,000 new classrooms are needed once the K to 12 program, which will add two years to high school, is fully implemented by 2017.

Luistro said the additional classrooms will be used by the projected 650,000 students per level who will enroll in Grades 11 and 12 in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

P13.5 B for new teachers, books

The DBM said that DepEd will also receive P10 billion to create 39,000 new teaching and 1,500 non-teaching positions.

Another P3.5 billion was allotted for the purchase and distribution of 70.5 million textbooks and instructional materials to schools nationwide.

Scholarship grants for private schools, through the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education program, will also be funded with P8.3 billion.

Meanwhile, DepEd will provide high schools with multi-media laboratories under its computerization program, which has a budget of P8.5 billion – enough to procure 24,000 information and communication technology packages.

Other programs that will receive continuing funding this year include the Abot-Alam program for out-of-school youth which will get P1.97 billion;alternative delivery mode program for children in difficult circumstances P575.9 million; basic education Madrasah program for Muslim students P708.7 million, and the redesigned technical-vocational high school program  P236.4 million.