IMPERATIVES OF REAL AND EQUITABLE GROWTH: An Alternative Proposal for Financing the MDGs in the 2007 Budget 1. Classrooms. This increase is equivalent to 10,576 additional classrooms. 2. Alternative Learning System. This additional allocation is estimated to benefit at least 150,000 out-of-school children. 3. Teachers Training. Doubling the allocation for teachers training will fast track improvements in teaching capability and quality. 5. School’s MOOE. Increase the current per capita MOOE of schools by an average of 25% to finance quality-enhancing programs. 6. School Health and Nutrition Program. Doubling the allocation for this item would redound to wider and greater number of student beneficiaries. This will not only improve the health and nutritional conditions of students, but this might also lead to improve attendance. 7. National Education Test Development. This additional funding will improve monitoring of student achievement, including the development of alternative evaluation system 8. Education for All. Earmarked specifically for the promotion of EFA, including funding support for CSO initiated activities Table 19. Budget Items to be Decreased PROPOSED BUDGET ITEM BUDGET Food for Schools Program
4,013,000,000
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS (2,172,000,000)*
ALTERNATIVE BUDGET FOR 2007 1,841,000,000
* Savings to be generated will be re-allocated to other priority expenditure items (see above table)
RATIONALE: The amount of P1.841 billion represents DepEd’s proposed budget for Food for School Program (FSP) that they submitted to DBM. This amount has in fact exceeded the P1.6 billion budget ceiling on this item that was given to them by DBM. Why should we give them more than double of what they think they needed? Secondly, it must first be established how this fund is really being disbursed, and how the beneficiaries are selected. For now, we can use the excess amount to other more pressing needs in basic education. Trends in Financing Higher Education 1. Continuing increase in cost of private tertiary education. The cost of private tertiary education had been rising, exacerbated by the crisis in pre-need industry. This affected enrollment particularly in private tertiary schools, with a significant decline in the enrollment levels - from a growth rate of 6.47% in 1997 to a decline of 2.8% in 2002. 2. Continuing exodus of college students to State Universities and Colleges (SUCs). From a 10% share of all college students in 1980, enrollment share of SUCs increased to 21% in 1994, and 34% in AY 2002-03. For the period 1997 to 2003, enrollment in public higher education institutions grew rapidly by an average of 9.62 percent per year. 3. Continuing increase in the number of SUCs. The number of SUCs had considerably increased by as much as 160% since 1990. From 219 SUCs in 1999, the number expanded by 64% to 360 units (111 main and 249 satellite campuses) in 2004. As of 2004, 20.15% of tertiary education institutions are public.
An NGO-Legislators’ Initiative
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