DepEd receives P543.

2B
in 2017 national budget
The education department's increased budget will fund teachers' salaries,
improve basic educational facilities, purchase instructional materials, and give
financial assistance to students

Rappler.com

Published 6:35 PM, January 12, 2017

Updated 6:04 PM, January 13, 2017

MANILA, Philippines The Department of Education (DepEd) received the lion's

share of the 2017 national budget at P543.2 billion ($10.97 billion). This is seen
to benefit over 21.2 million learners all over the country.

The DepEd's budget will be used primarily to fund teachers' salaries, improve
basic educational facilities, purchase instructional materials, and give financial
assistance to students.

The figure represents an increase of 25% from last year's funding of P433.38
billion ($8.75 billion). It is the biggest allocation among all executive departments
in the 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA). (READ: Briones eyes review of
DepEd spending)
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Some P19.4 billion ($391.8 million) will go to salaries. According to the

Department of Budget and Management (DBM), this will allow the DepEd to open
53,831 teaching positions and 13,280 non-teaching posts.

To address the backlog in facilities, P118.8 billion ($2.4 billion) will be used for
construction, repair, and acquiring basic educational needs. It includes 47,492
classrooms and 66,492 sets of school seats for the K-12 program.

The DepEd's budget will also make additional learning resources available. The
department will purchase 55 million textbooks and instructional materials, as well
as equipment for science and mathematics for 5,449 schools.

Partnerships with private institutions to deliver basic education received

considerable funding in this year's budget. The Government Assistance to
Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program will receive
P35.8 billion ($722.95 million), granting financial assistance to over 2.6 million
beneficiaries.

'Budget for real change'

The bulk of GASTPE's funds will go to the Voucher Program for private senior
high schools while the rest will support the Education Service Contracting of the
department for those in junior high school and technical-vocational and livelihood
specializations.

According to statistics, kindergarten net enrollment rates are expected to jump

from 53% to 72%; for elementary, this will rise from 90% to 94%. Enrollment rates
in junior high school see an increase from 68% to 73%, with better
implementation of the K to 12 program.

Dubbed "Budget for Real Change," the Duterte administration's first national
budget amounts to P3.35 trillion ($67.61 billion). It is 11.6% higher than the 2016
budget and represents 21% of the projected gross domestic product (GDP) for
2017. (READ: 2017 budget priorities: Infrastructure, agriculture, peace and order)

The 2017 budget also increased allocation for infrastructure, free education for
SUCs, universal healthcare, and free irrigation for farmers, among others.
Rappler.com