Senate Committee on Finance Chairman Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is targeting to allocate funding for the education sector that will reach 4% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This initiative aims to address the ongoing education crisis and ensure a more stable future for the next generations.
“Pipilitin nating umabot o lumagpas ng 4% ng GDP ang budget ng edukasyon dahil malaki ang kailangang pondo para masolusyunan ang krisis sa edukasyon. Hindi ibig sabihin na isasantabi na ang ibang sektor. Bibigyan lang natin ng prayoridad ang edukasyon,” Gatchalian stated.
The senator emphasized that the funding will focus on “back to basics,” particularly enhancing reading and math skills from Kindergarten to Grade 3. The budget will also prioritize the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.
To address the classroom shortage, Gatchalian proposed the reimplementation of a counterpart program, where the national government and local governments would share costs for building classrooms.
He also suggested increasing the number of teacher aides to reduce administrative tasks and other non-teaching responsibilities that affect teachers’ ability to instruct effectively.