Where our money should go

THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic has fully exposed the weaknesses of our education system, as well as of other social institutions, caused largely by year after year of insufficient funding. Thus as the 2021 budget deliberation in Congress starts, it is no surprise that stakeholders in the education section are demanding bigger funding for safe, accessible and quality education for this pandemic and beyond.

Yes, our duly-elected officials in Congress must ensure the judicious use of our funds by prioritizing social and economic services. This will not only help us get back to our feet, but also pave the way for a truly “better normal” for the Filipino people and the nation as a whole.

Public education system has long been plagued by perennial shortages, drastically aggravated by the shift to remote learning in light of the health situation. Without considerable resources, it is feared that millions more will be further disenfranchised and endangered.

Even before the pandemic, education had already been facing challenges with access and quality. With the Department of Education’s (DepEd) poorly funded remote learning plans, at least four million learners are at risk of being left behind while the rest are set to endure diminished learning quality. These alone are grave injustices to the youth. No amount of making up by teachers will suffice, especially with the weakening of their ranks due to COVID-19 infection.

To address these serious problems, there is a need for a significant budget increase in education – to warrant the provision of learning needs and the granting of health benefits and protection to education frontliners. Similarly, the government must ensure safe schools that are both resilient and responsive to disease outbreaks such as the pandemic we’re currently facing.

Specifically, to ensure the youth’s right to education, Congress should fund the provision of gadgets, self-learning modules, and other tech infrastructure for distance learning. Also, teachers being frontliners, it’s only just that the government fully subsidize their COVID-19 testing and treatment.

Finally, we must ensure school safety by addressing age old shortages in sanitation facilities and personnel, and providing clinics and nurses in every school. Infrastructure budget should go to the building of schools and medical facilities. These are where our money should go.