This update focuses on the adequate provision of the budget for the country’s educational system and the corresponding expectations as a result of funding the various educational needs. It appears that the Philippines ranked lowest in an international assessment conducted in 2019 despite the government’s stand on the sufficiency of budgets for the education sector. The assessment results uncovered problems in learning materials and the salary of teachers.

The Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in the Philippines cited that “Education is still a top priority. It receives the highest portion of our budget. These budget cuts are not without reason.” He continued, “Education continues to receive the highest allocation in the proposed 2019 budget with a total budget of P659.3 billion, up by P72.2 billion, or by 12.3 percent, from its cash-based equivalent of P587.1 billion in 2018.”

This policy statement from the Budget Secretary indicates the value that the Philippine government places on both basic and higher education. Indeed, Filipinos have a deep regard for education. Education occupies a central place in Philippine political, economic social and cultural life. It has always been strongly viewed as a primary avenue for social and economic mobility, hence, it is regarded as a pillar of national development.

It is, therefore, ironic that there were certain cuts on the 2019 budget for education. The higher education budget had a P3-billion budget cut on the “Tulong Dunong” program. The 2018 budget of P4.19 billion was cut to P1.19 billion only for 2019. That amount was allocated to fund almost 100,000 students in 2019. On the other hand, the basic education budget was cut by P7.72-billion to fund the construction of school buildings and classrooms. The budget for 2018 was P105.46, but the budget for 2019 is P34.74 only.

The DBM explained that the cut on the “Tulong Dunong” program was because another budget item for higher education was included in the 2019 budget, specifically for the implementation of the Free Tuition Law where P11 billion was allocated. Hence, it will cover whatever budget cuts were imposed on the “Tulong Dunong” program.

The cut on the basic education was primarily due to the low utilization record in the last three years. In 2015, only P6.68 billion was used out of the P53.88 billion; while in 2016, only P16.38 billion out of the P82.26 billion was used. A much lower amount was used in 2017 because only P7.39 billion was used out of the P118.78 billion budget.

Given these budget cuts in the 2019 budget, the DBM assured that education was sufficiently funded. Thus, the budget is consistent with the constitutional provision that the state guarantees the right to education of every Filipino. The 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that, “The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all.” Also, both the Governance of Basic Education Act of 2001 (Republic Act 9155) and the Free Secondary Education Act (Republic Act 6655) support the rights of all Filipinos by providing children free and compulsory education in the elementary and high school level.

If public education is sufficiently funded in the Philippines, why does the Philippines rank lowest in reading comprehension among 79 countries based on the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)? The assessment, spearheaded by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), had “Reading” as the main subject assessed among 15-year old students. The Philippines had an average reading score of 340, far below China’s score of 555, and lesser than the OECD average of 487. The Philippines also ranked second-lowest for both mathematics and science, scoring below average in all three categories.

This raises concerns for both the government and the players in public education. Experts believe that public policy on education should be revisited. Indeed, how can education be a social and economic instrument if it cannot empower the young generate to gain basic reading skills?

What ails the Philippine education?

The Reading Association of the Philippines (RAP) attributed the lackluster performance in the reading comprehension primarily to the study materials provided to students, where students become attuned and used to having encountered narrative texts, and not expository and informational texts. Filipino students are not provided with other materials like news articles, argumentative essays, and graphs that could help them identify information and understand more deeply the lessons. Lack of internet access among children in the far-flung areas which could provide them digital texts were also cited as contributory to the reading comprehension problem. The Philippine Human Rights Information Center confirmed that insufficient instructional materials is a decade-long issue that hampers the Philippine education.

In response, the Department of Education vowed to take measures to attain quality education by launching the “Sulong EduKalidad” in reforming four areas: (a) K to 12 reviews and updating; (b) improvement of learning facilities; (c) upskilling and reskilling of teachers and school heads through a transformed professional development program; and (d) stakeholders engagement for support and collaboration.

The role of the teachers in improving the quality of education cannot be overemphasized. However, their plight as co-creator and provider of knowledge seems to have been on the side of the government’s agenda. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) asserted that the struggle for a substandard salary increase for teachers remains. For the ACT members, the government has always used as excuses the scarcity of the government budget and the relatively higher salary of the public-school teachers compared with their private counterparts. They were unhappy with the series of conditional vetoes that the country’s President did for the grant of allowance and benefits of teachers. Teachers expressed their sentiments in a unity walk held on October 4, 2019, in celebration of the World Teachers Day.

President Rodrigo Duterte said the awaited increase in the salary of public-school teachers will be given in 2020. However, he refused to give an exact date as to when the increase will be given. Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto proposed the creation of new ranks for teachers corresponding to higher salary grades to close the pay gap.

Public policy shapes the promotion and development of high-quality education in the country. And such a policy should be comprehensive to include all the dimensions that affect the interests of both the students and the teachers. Indeed, the quality of education can be seen on how the students, being the products of the educational system, have been capacitated and transformed into learned individuals, who are capable of improving their plight and contributing to the progress of the nation. Perhaps, it's time for the Philippine government to adopt New Learning technologies and approaches. That is how education can contribute to society.

References:

Education still top priority in proposed 2019 budget

https://www.dbm.gov.ph/index.php/secretary-s-corner/press-releases/list-of-press-releases/1216-education-still-top-priority-in-proposed-2019-budget

Philippine Education for All 2015: Implementation and Challenges

https://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/sites/planipolis/files/ressources/philippines_efa_mda.pdf

Philippines lowest in reading comprehension among 79 countries

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/12/03/1974002/philippines-lowest-reading-comprehension-among-79-countries

Literacy group blames Philippines' reading comprehension rank on study materials

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/12/05/1974505/literacy-group-blames-philippines-reading-comprehension-rank-study-materials

DepEd welcomes PISA results, recognizes 'gaps' in education quality

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/12/04/1974229/deped-welcomes-pisa-results-recognizes-gaps-education-quality

Teachers' groups hope Duterte delivers on pay hike promise

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/10/07/1958179/teachers-groups-hope-duterte-delivers-pay-hike-promise

Teacher groups call for salary increase during the unity walk

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/10/04/1957414/teacher-groups-call-salary-increase-during-unity-walk

Duterte vows to increase teachers’ salaries this year

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/06/19/duterte-vows-to-increase-teachers-salaries-this-year

Recto proposes new ranks for public school teachers to close pay gap

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/05/19/recto-proposes-new-ranks-for-public-school-teachers-to-close-pay-gap