DBM releases P7B to build, repair classrooms

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P7 billion for the construction and repair of 8,997 classrooms for 404,865 students. Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the classrooms will be built in areas where the classroom shortage is acute. The funds, Abad added, come from the P11.29 billion budget for basic educational facilities. The largest chunks will go to the National Capital Region (P1 billion), the Calabarzon provinces (P841 million), the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (P660.311 million) for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and Central Visayas (P562 million). According to the Department of Education (DepEd), at least 23 tables and 46 chairs should be in every new classroom constructed from this year’s funds. Secondary school classrooms meanwhile should have at least 45 armchairs. The DepEd also required a blackboard and a teacher’s table and chair for every classroom. Abad said the budget for education was increased by P32.3 billion in order to finance the construction of classrooms, hiring of new teachers and the purchase of textbooks. The Budget Secretary assured the public that the Aquino administration would continue its efforts to be transparent. “For the construction and completion of project under this release, the constructors will be evaluated and the involvement of civil society monitors will also be encouraged," Abad said. The DBM is among the departments in the Aquino administration that are “the few practical testimonies to transparency of the Aquino government," according to a special report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. K+12 concerns The shortage of classrooms and schools has been one of the major arguments of those who have opposed the DepEd’s K+12 education model or kindergarten plus 12 years of basic education. DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro said K+12 would make high school graduates more qualified to take on jobs even without a college degree. Various entities opposed the plan, including Senator Vicente Sotto who asked for “more schools, not more years in school." Teachers also expressed apprehension over the proposed overhaul of the education system. Teachers Dignity Coalition chairman Benjo Basas said late last year, “We’ve been experiencing shortages in classrooms, school buildings, teachers, textbooks and other needs and every year the government is burdened with the backlogs of the previous year. This is primarily due to low investment in public education." — BC/ELR/VS, GMA News