Press Release
May 20, 2011

ANGARA: GOV'T MUST INVEST MORE IN EDUCATION
FOR HUMAN CAPITAL DEV'T

Senator Edgardo J. Angara commented on the current standing of the Philippine educational system in a press conference yesterday, saying that we need to channel a bigger percentage of government funds in public schools.

"The Philippines at this point, has the lowest per head investment in education among our neighbors in Southeast Asia, except for Cambodia.

According to Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture, investing in our country's education would contribute a great deal in the development of our human capital.

"There may be spending in roads and bridges but nothing to develop the bodies and minds of our children. And that is why the Philippines ranks very low in terms of competitiveness," he lamented.

Angara mentioned that the implementation of the public kindergarten program as part of the extended K-12 Basic Education Curriculum is an important step towards this goal. However, the government must also address the shortage of teachers and classrooms throughout the country.

"Because we are offering the Kindergarten program for free, there would naturally be a major shift of enrolment from private to public and right now, I am not sure if we have enough teachers and classrooms to handle that. For 2012 though, we're seeing a big jump in the budget for the Department of Education that might be able to cover the additional costs," said Angara.

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