The Philippines is set to lose more than P4 billion in funding for key education programs due to the United States’ 90-day freeze on foreign aid, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said yesterday.
The freeze affects programs supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been helping improve the country’s education system for years.
Programs Affected
Several important education projects will be affected, including:
- ABC+ Project – Focused on early-grade learning.
- Improving Learning Outcomes for the Philippines – A program to improve student performance.
- Gabay – Supporting learners with special needs.
Other USAID programs like the ALS Tracer Study and Opportunity 2.0 will still continue and are expected to finish by February 2025.
DepEd’s Response
Angara said that DepEd has asked the USAID to turn over learning materials from these projects. This will help the agency make good use of existing resources and find new funding sources to continue the programs.
To cope with the funding loss, DepEd will:
- Speed up the purchase of textbooks so students get learning materials before the next school year.
- Strengthen its curriculum and teacher development efforts to improve education quality.
“We appreciate the USAID’s support over the years. While we wait for this issue to be resolved, DepEd will push forward with reforms to ensure quality education for all,” Angara said.
Talks With the US
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Germany this week to clarify which USAID programs will be affected by the funding freeze, which is part of new policies under the Trump administration.
Manalo will also attend the Munich Security Conference from February 14 to 16, where he will discuss maritime tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Teachers’ Growing Burden
Meanwhile, teachers’ groups are raising concerns about workplace exploitation.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said that teachers are overworked and underpaid, with many handling tasks beyond their teaching duties.
ACT NCR Union President Ruby Bernardo said a recent EDCOM II report confirmed these problems.
- Two out of three teachers work more than 40 hours a week, mostly on paperwork and administrative tasks.
- Teachers are forced to teach subjects they are not trained for while juggling other non-teaching responsibilities.
- Low salaries remain a problem, with entry-level teachers earning P30,024 per month, far from the P50,000 needed for a family of five.
Government Spending Update
As of end-January, the government has released P4.1 trillion, or 65% of the 2024 national budget worth P6.3 trillion.
Key figures from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM):
- P2.8 trillion went to government agencies.
- P109 billion was allocated for special funds like calamity and infrastructure projects.
- P1.19 trillion covered automatic expenses like tax allotments, pensions, and insurance premiums.
Some budget items, like pensions for former presidents and interest payments, have not yet been released.
The government said it is on track with spending to support public services and infrastructure projects for the year.
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