Government urged to double education budget amid students’ literacy woes

May 1, 2025 , 07:25 PM

By Rodolfo Dacleson II

(May 1, 2025) – A teachers’ group on Thursday called on the government to urgently address the educational woes in the country following the results of a recent survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

On Wednesday, the Senate raised concerns after the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey of the PSA revealed that 18.96 million or 21% of senior high school (SHS) graduates from 2019 until 2024 were functionally illiterate or couldn’t comprehend what they have read.

ACT Teachers Party-list stressed that it’s “another quantitative illustration” of the “alarmingly dismal quality” of the country’s educational system.

“The real puzzle is the question of when the government will be alarmed enough to act on this degeneration of education. How many more studies are needed to jolt our officials into realizing that band-aid solutions are simply no good?” said the teachers’ group in a media release.

It asserted that passing “game-changing measures” is necessary for solving the persisting problems, including shortage of classrooms and academic personnel, meager pay of teachers, low scores in international assessments, and outdated curriculum, among others.

“Doubling the education budget is the necessary first step in addressing the grave inadequacies in our education infrastructure, technology, materials, and personnel, including the provision of decent salaries and adequate benefits to teachers and staff. This will provide students with a nurturing and enabling learning environment,” added the media release.

This year, the Department of Education received a P737 billion budget from its proposed allocation of P748 billion. The funding for its computerization program, infrastructure development, and staff hiring took a toll due to the cut.

ALSO READ: Marcos seeking remedies for ‘suboptimal’ 2025 national budget

ACT Teachers Party-list noted that since 2023, the Philippines has only allocated over 3% of its gross domestic product to education, which falls below the recommended 4% to 6% by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

“Voters should choose candidates who support the doubling of the education budget, the wage increase of education workers, the nationalist reorientation of the general curriculum, and the upholding of academic freedom,” said the teachers’ group.

(PM)

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