Senate adds P5 B to SUCs’ budget

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate has approved a P5-billion allocation in the 2015 budget of state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the hiring of teachers. The amount is on top of the P41.79-billion budget for the 114 SUCs for 2015, an increase from the P38 billion this year. 

“For the past 15 years SUCs were not given additional plantilla items despite the increase in enrollment. To address this issue, the SUCS were hiring part-time faculty with no employer-employee relationship. This has affected the quality of higher education,” SEn. Teofisto Guingona III said. 

Guingona said that the Philippine Normal University will also get P300 million for its modernization pursuant to Republic Act 9647 or the PNU Modernization Act of 2009. 

It is first time the PNU will be given funds for its modernization since RA 9647 was enacted five years ago, Guingona noted.

The P300 million will be used for the modernization of PNU’s facilities, faculty training, curriculum program enhancement and for research and policy studies in education. 

Guingona said the Commission on Higher Education will get a budget of P2.38 billion in 2015, the bulk of which will go to assistance, incentives and grants. 

The Mindanao State University system will receive an additional P200 million for its maintenance and other operating expenses, which Guingona said will enable them to continue developing capacities and educating Bangsamoro communities. 

Of the P200 million, P140 million will go to the purchase of books and e-library resources. 

For the Department of Education (DepEd), the Senate has approved an increase in “chalk allowance” of teachers from P1,000 to P1,500 a year in the 2015 national budget. 

Chalk allowance refers to the budget given to teachers for the purchase of chalk, pens, erasers and other school supplies that they use. 

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said that the P1,500 represents an increase of 50 percent from this year’s allotment. 

“Let’s just view it as a down payment toward the ideal amount. I am sure there will be another increase next year.  Even if the increase is done by installments, it is better than no increase at all,” Recto said. 

Citing a DepEd computation, Recto noted that some 681,024 public kindergarten, elementary and high school teachers will receive the allowance next year.