Additional education budget to benefit 500,000 students

The effort to improve the country’s educational system is beginning to pay off.

Sen. Edgardo Angara said yesterday over 500,000 students stand to benefit from the additional budgetary allocation extended to the Government Assistance to Teachers and Students in Private Education (GASTPE) program.

"Our efforts in seeking more funds for education are paying off," Angara said. "This development inspires us even more to fight for bigger allocation for this sector."

From P758 million in 2003, the GASTPE budget in 2004 has increased to P2 billion. With the budget hike, the current P2,500 government subsidy for GASTPE scholars will increase to P4,000.

"The problems in the educational system are rooted in the lack of resources and it is a very good sign that government is increasing the money for education," Angara said.

He said at least five percent of the gross national product (GNP) should be spent on education to ensure that Filipinos will have more accessible, affordable and higher quality education.

Angara also lauded Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin for pledging to work for the immediate release of the endowment fund for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Also, in an effort to better understand how the government can help the education sector, Angara is seeking the creation of another congressional commission on education modernization (EDCOM), "so that we will have a full grasp of where we are now and how to proceed" towards the goal of high quality education that is accessible and affordable.

The first EDCOM was formed in 1992 through Angara’s initiative when he was still the chairman of the Senate education committee.

EDCOM made the first in-depth study of the problems of the Philippine educational system. The study concluded that subjects in science and technology and excellence in teaching are among the critical aspects of education.

The study blamed "underinvestment" or insufficient funding as the main culprit for the poor quality of education in the country.

The EDCOM study served as one of Angara’s "guiding documents" in writing and shepherding the passage of a number of landmark laws on education, such as the Free High School Act, GASTPE and the restructuring of the Department of Education (DepEd). – Jose Rodel Clapano