Lapus admits: 2009 DepEd budget, “not adequate”, “not at norm with international standards”

From: GMANews.TV: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/119616/Proposed-2009-budget-for-DepEd-insufficient-below-intl-standards—Lapus

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) may have the biggest proposed budget for 2009 among government agencies but its budget still falls below international standards, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said on Thursday.

During the House Appropriations committee briefing on the proposed DepEd budget, Lapus said the proposed P167.94 billion DepEd budget for 2009 – which includes P2 billion for school building program – remains below international standards.

Department of Education Secretary Jesli Lapus

“It’s got the biggest budget it’s still not adequate and it’s still not at norm with international standards,” said Lapus.

Lapus said the DepEd budget from 2001 to 2007 made up 2.07 to 2.53 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product which is way below the standards set by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

“The norm, international standards, place it at 6 percent of GDP,” Lapus said. 

“DepEd has the highest budget among all government agencies but if you double it, it’s closer to the norm, it’s closer to what is happening in other countries,” he added.

The P167.94 billion allotment is a 13 percent increase from 2008’s P149.25 billion, but Lapus said this is inadequate as the DepEd budget increase should be at par with the increase in the national budget. 

Lapus said that while the P1.41 trillion national budget is a 15.32 percent increase from the 2008 budget, the DepEd budget only increased by 12.53 percent.

He lamented that the lower increase in the education budget has been the trend since 2001, and that it was only in 2008 when the two almost became at par with an 8.68 percent increase in the education budget compared to the 8.94 increase in the national budget.

“In fact [the DepEd budget] should be way ahead of the national budget increase in order to recover,” Lapus said.

The DepEd’s original budget proposal for 2009 was P259.46 billion, he said.

Lapus said a higher budget is the only way for the department to implement all of its plans such as computerization of schools and increased funding for preschool and basic education.

Under the P167.94 billion budget allotted by the Budget department, the DepEd is planning to allot P136.82 billion for personal services, a 19 percent increase from 2008’s P114.77 billion.

However, the funds for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) is likely to go down by 7 percent, from 2008’s P21.73 billion to the proposed P20.27 for 2009.

Only P10.85 billion will be allotted for capital outlay, which includes school building constructions, a 15 percent decrease from P12.75 billion in 20O8.

The DepEd budget briefing is still ongoing as of posting time. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV