2015 BUDGET FUNDS SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING POSITIONS TO GET P300M

2015 BUDGET FUNDS SCHOLARSHIPS, TEACHING POSITIONS TO GET P300M

To spur the competitiveness of the Philippines tertiary education system, Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III said that the 2015 national budget will provide funding requirements to hire permanent educators, provide more scholarships, and modernize school facilities and curriculum in government colleges and universities throughout the nation.

On top of the P41.79 billion budget for state universities and colleges (SUCs), the 2015 budget will provide the P5 billion funding requirement for the filling up of faculty plantilla positions in the 114 SUCs.

“For the past 15 years, SUCs were not given additional plantilla items despite the increase in enrollment. To address this issue, the SUCS are hiring part time faculty with no employer-employee relationship. This has affected the quality of higher education,” Sen. Guingona stressed.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Normal University will get P300 million for the modernization of its facilities, training of its faculty, enhancement of its curriculum programs and for the conduct of research and policy studies in education. PNU has been declared as the National Center for Teacher Education dedicated to developing highly competent teachers and educational leaders.

Sen. Guingona said that the P300 million funding for PNU is pursuant to the passage of Republic Act 9647 otherwise known as the “PNU Modernization Act of 2009.” Since its enactment into law five years ago, it is only now that PNU will finally receive an appropriation.

Likewise, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will get P2.38 billion next year. The bulk of the budget will be for the provision of assistance, incentives, scholarships and grants.

The Mindanao State University System will be given an additional P200 million for its maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) to enable the system to continue developing capacities and educating Bangsamoro communities. Of the P200 million, P140 of which will go to capital outlay for the purchase of books and e-library resources.

Moreover, Sen. Guingona also mentioned that P11 billion will be given to housing agencies to provide adequate housing and shelter fund for homeless low income families. The budget will be given for relocation and resettlement of informal settler families; for the construction of shelters for the victims of calamities, and for the housing program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police. /MP