The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has officially allocated P1.34 trillion for the education sector under the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), marking the highest budget for education in Philippine history and meeting international spending standards.
In a press briefing at Malacañang on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary lawyer Claire Castro, together with top officials from the country’s tri-focal education system, detailed how the record-breaking funds will be utilized to elevate the quality of learning and address long-standing shortages.
Education Secretary Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara highlighted that the 2026 budget represents a nearly 30 percent increase over the previous year. For the first time, the Philippines has reached the UNESCO global standard, which recommends spending between 4% to 6% of a nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education.
“This is unprecedented, not just because of the size, but in terms of spending on critical programs,” Angara said. He noted that the budget for the school feeding program has jumped from P3 billion in 2022 to over P25 billion for 2026.
To address learning gaps in reading and math, the Department of Education (DepEd) was granted P9 billion for its “ARAL Program,” which will provide tutors in schools nationwide.
Moreover, the budget aims to construct 24,000 classrooms this year—a significant leap from the 5,000 to 6,000 classrooms funded in previous years.
In a move to improve teacher welfare, Angara announced that the government will open over 65,000 new teaching and non-teaching positions.
He also disclosed the implementation of the Expanded Career Progression (ECP), which will allow for the promotion of over 100,000 teachers to ensure they are properly compensated and motivated to stay in the service.
For higher education, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Dr. Shirley Agrupis reported a 40 percent budget increase, reaching P47 billion. A total of P40 billion is dedicated to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, providing free tuition for students in state and local universities and colleges.
Dr. Agrupis also introduced the new “Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship,” a P634-million program with 20,000 slots aimed at high-performing students from low- to middle-income families who wish to enroll in priority courses, including those in private institutions.
Meanwhile, TESDA Secretary Jose Francisco ‘Kiko’ Benitez announced a record P19-billion budget for technical-vocational education and training. The agency targets between 600,000 to 700,000 learners for 2026, focusing on enterprise-based training and upskilling for digital transitions and AI disruption.
“Our mandate is training for employment,” Benitez said. “We are leveraging government funds to increase the number of Filipinos who can benefit from a system where employability is as high as 85 to 95 percent.”
The education officials emphasized that through this historic funding, the Marcos Jr. administration is fulfilling its promise to make quality education a cornerstone of national development and a primary investment in the future of the Filipino youth. (PIA)