MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. aims to secure funding for essential initiatives of the Department of Education (DepEd), following the agency’s budget reduction for fiscal year 2025.
During a meeting with DepEd officials on Thursday, the Chief Executive mentioned significant budgetary shortfalls affecting the agency’s projects, which could worsen the existing teacher shortage in the country.
“We have to be able to show that that’s (education) the priority,” said President Marcos in a media release from the Presidential Communications Office.
The approved budget for DepEd in 2025 stands at P737 billion, a decrease from the proposed P748 billion.
The cuts made by Congress primarily impact the establishment of new school personnel positions, the Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF), and the execution of the DepEd Computerization Program (DCP).
Notably, while DepEd requested P12.379 billion for its DCP, it was allocated only P2.43 billion. This reduction is anticipated to adversely affect the distribution of educational tools for both learners and teachers, including laptops, smart TVs, and satellite-based internet access.
Consequently, the agency has been compelled to cancel approximately P4 billion of the P7 billion worth of DCP projects that had already entered early procurement stages.
Additionally, the diminished BEFF is expected to impact the construction of new school facilities, as indicated by DepEd./PN
