CHIZ: MORE MONEY NEEDED FOR EDUCATION

Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday said the national government should immediately increase the allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd) to strengthen the country's educational system, which now lags behind its neighbors.

Escudero said that although the Constitution mandates that education should have the highest budgetary priority, the reality is that it is not a matter of national policy.

"We have not been following this constitutional policy since our charter was enacted in 1987. In reality, the highest budgetary priority being given money-wise is debt servicing. The second is the Internal Revenue Allotment or IRA of government units. DepEd only ranks third," he said during a forum sponsored by the Anvil Business Club Friday night in Makati City.

The senator noted that the 2009 DepEd budget is roughly P160 billion, which pales when compared to about P600 billion allotted for national debt servicing and the P260 billion allocated for IRA.

"How were they (national government) able to circumvent the Constitution? By considering IRA and debt service as off book budget items or off budget items. They say it is automatically appropriated by law," he explained.

With the budget allocated for education, Escudero said the country is only spending an equivalent of $138 per student per year, which is considered measly when compared to its neighbors like Thailand, Singapore and Japan, which spend $853, $1,800 and $5,000 per student each year, respectively.

"So we should not be surprised if the quality of education here in the Philippines is not at par with international standards," he said.

Escudero also noted that instead of improving and strengthening the education system in the country, what the government did was make it harder and more expensive for anyone to land a job in the country.

"The government increased the qualifications for employment. For example, to be a member of the police force one needs to be a college graduate, which was not the case before," he said.

In other countries, he added that one is qualified to work after completion of primary and secondary education because the system is good.

"Here, as the quality of education deteriorates, the qualifications for employment increases. It should not cost an arm and leg to get a job here in the country,' Escudero said.