The Department of Education (DepEd) aligned some of its priorities in education and reaffirmed that amid the significant developments, they ensure that no one should be left behind as it pivots to quality basic education through its proposed 2020 budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, Tuesday.
For FY 2020, the said government agency received an allocation of P551.7 billion, which comprises 82% share of the budget for the education sector. The major program for education access is the Basic Education Facilities with a total of P36 billion proposed budget. It includes the construction of school buildings and laboratories (P19.9 billion); classrooms for repair/rehabilitation (P6.5 billion for 18,579 classrooms); school furniture (P4.8 billion for 42,225 sets); electrification (P2 billion for 1,700 sites).
Department’s major programs with the corresponding estimated proposed budget are: DepEd Computerization Program (P9 billion); human resource development with NEAP Transformation (P1.9 billion); learning tools and equipment (P2.7 billion); new school personnel (teaching) positions (P1.3 billion), and textbooks and other instructional materials (P963.6 million).
Other major programs for education access include Flexible Learning Options, including the Alternative Learning System (P600.6 million); Madrasah Education (P340.7 million); Government Assistance and Subsidies (P31.2 billion); School-Based Feeding Program (P6 billion); and Last Mile Schools Program (P1.5 billion).
“Still, no one should be left behind. We continue to address the remaining access gaps in basic education, which should be more nuanced and responsive to the reasons why certain learners remain out of school,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.
Other plans to improve the education dimension especially of learning outcomes include an ongoing review of the K to 12 curriculum and the transformation of the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) to enrich the capacities of teachers and to equip them for career progression.
“The role of teachers is crucial in ensuring that our learners are prepared for future opportunities and challenges,” she added.
DepEd also explained issues that they still need to address in the next three years; Improving the “low proficiency level” of learners in the National Achievement Test (NAT) due to changes in content with the introduction of the K to 12 curriculum; new education trends brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence; and the need to address the wide range of contrasts within education systems, especially the so-called “Last Mile Schools.”
“Technological innovations enable more advanced countries to test the idea of robots conducting lectures in class, acting as teachers. The challenge is to keep the humanistic aspects of education.” Briones noted.
She also said that they continue addressing access gaps through various programs such as School-Based Feeding, Alternative Learning System, and the new Last Mile Schools.
