VP Sara Duterte requests P100B budget to solve education problems in six years

During the budget hearing for the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday, Sept. 14, Vice President (VP), and Education Secretary Sara Duterte requested a budget of 100 billion for the agency and said she will use it to solve all the problems of basic education in six years.

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VP Duterte voiced out her request after she was questioned by House Deputy Minority Leader and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Party-list Rep. France Castro over DepEd’s concrete plans to address the learning crisis in education.

However, Castro seemingly unsatisfied with Duterte’s answer, said “she hopes to see concrete solutions of the DepEd.”

She also has questioned VP Duterte’s insistent prioritization of mandatory ROTC [Reserve Officers' Training Corps], rather than problems in the educational sector.

Bakit sa kabila ng ganitong kalalang problema ng mga estudyante, ang priority legislative agenda pa rin ng DepEd ay ’yung mandatory ROTC. Ano naman ang kinalaman ng ROTC sa pagpapataas ng reading comprehension, mathematical ability and science sa ating mga estudyante?

she asked.

In reply, Duterte said that there are already existing legislations for learning recovery, while there was no law for mandatory ROTC. Thus, she said legislation for mandatory ROTC is needed.

So right now, we are working on all the laws that were passed by the Congress that support the basic education,

she added.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also seeks to include ROTC in senior high school (SHS) programs in both public and private schools.

Meanwhile, youth groups condemned the push for mandatory ROTC as this would be an added burden to students.