THE Department of Education (DepEd) and its attached agencies asked the House of Representatives on Monday for an additional budget totaling P61.74 billion for 2025.
Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the proposed budget for the DepEd and its attached agencies is P793.177 billion.
The additional P61.7 billion sought by the DepEd is broken down into an additional P59.45 billion for the DepEd Office of the Secretary (OSEC) and an additional P2.29 billion for its six attached agencies.
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara presented the budget request to lawmakers in the House Committee on Appropriations.
"From the school infrastructure and facilities strand, they are asking for P30 billion for 12,000 new classrooms and P6.8 billion for the Infrastructure for Safer and Resilient Schools Project," Angara said.
"From the curriculum strand, they are asking for additional P500 million for textbooks and other instructional materials, P201 million for the Special Needs Education-Child Find System; P97 million for the Madrasah Education Program; P50 million for the Early Language Literacy and Numeracy; P438 million as the fee for the certification of our senior high school Technical-Vocational Education and Training graduates; and P4.8 billion for the eight-week literacy and numeracy programs for grades 1 to 3 for school year 2025-2026," he said.
Based on Angara's statements during the briefing, the wish list also included a computer program for the human resource strand for P700 million to organize files; about P666 million "to provide career pathways for DepEd non-teaching personnel"; and reclassification or conversion of guidance counselors to guidance services specialists, which "would cost P35 million."
The wish list also included P2.17 billion for the Human Resource Development for Personnel in Schools and Learning Centers (National Educators Academy of the Philippines); P258.74 million for the Palarong Pambansa; P12.64 billion for the administrative service strand's computerization program; P38.65 million for the Sites Titling Office; and P49.53 million for plantilla items for the legal and legislative affairs strand.
Angara presented the wish list of the six attached agencies.
These included the National Museum of the Philippines, which sought an additional P1.61 billion as funding for "new component museums."
The National Book Development Board sought an additional P289.68 million.
The National Council for Children's Television sought an additional P132.85 million for content development and the procurement of manpower services.
The Philippine High School for the Arts asked for an additional P22.79 million, while the National Academy of Sports (NAS) sought an additional P209.81 million.
The Early Childhood Care and Development Council sought an additional P22.45 million.
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