Makati allots P2.1B for education

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City government has allotted P2.1 billion from its P12.28 budget this year public education programs.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said the city government is committed to provide quality education to public school students in the preschool, elementary, high school, K to 12 senior high school, and tertiary levels.

Binay said the city government for over two decades now has consistently provided substantial funding to its public education sector, putting it among its top three biggest expenditures annually. He added that the city’s education budget this year makes up 17.02 percent of its total budget for calendar year 2015.

“We remain focused on developing the potential of the youth to the greatest extent possible, using all available resources and tools, including modern technology and innovative methodologies in education. How well they will fare in an increasingly globalized and competitive environment largely depends on how well they are being educated and trained in our learning institutions,” Binay said.

Of the P2.1-billion allocated budget, P476.91 million has been allocated for free school supplies, reading materials, and uniforms for preschool to high school, and even free meals for undernourished elementary students. P150 million has been earmarked for workbooks and reading materials, P212 million for school uniforms and P.E. uniforms, P84.6 million for school supplies and bags, and P9.8 million for dental kits for Kindergarten to Grade 3 pupils, among others.

For its supplementary feeding program called Project FEED (Food for Excellent Education and Development), the city government has allocated P14.5 million this year. Last year, some 3,881 elementary students benefited from the program, which aims to address the nutritional needs of undernourished schoolchildren in the city’s public elementary schools to help improve their academic performance.

For its senior high school program at Higher School ng UMak (HSU), the city has allocated P40.7 million to cover expenditures for school supplies and uniforms, textbooks and workbooks for school year 2015-2016. At present, over 6,000 students are enrolled at HSU under the pilot K to 12 program of the Department of Education. Last April 2013, the school produced the biggest first batch of K to 12 graduates in the country, numbering 3,246, of which 32 were honor graduates.

Meanwhile, for this year, over P460 million has been allocated for the operations and academic programs of the city-run University of Makati (UMak), which implements a “dualized” training system combining classroom-based learning with on-the-job training. The continuing success of the system that has produced highly employable graduates has been made possible through strong collaboration between the university and a growing pool of industry leaders as its partner-institutions, reaching over 100 to date.