MANILA, Philippines — The operating budget of public schools must be doubled if government is to ensure the safe implementation of full face-to-face classes later this year, a teachers group said yesterday.
Vladimer Quetua, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) chairman, urged the government to pass a supplemental budget to increase the schools’ budget for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE).
“As of now the total school MOOE is just around P30 billion divided among all 48,000 public schools and it was computed following a pre-pandemic formula, based on the type of school and number of classrooms, students and teachers,” Quetua said.
“This only suffices for pre-pandemic regular operational expenses like utilities, supplies, small repairs, equipment, salaries of job order workers and budget for activities, but needs for a safe school reopening were not factored in,” he said.
Quetua noted that out of the P592-billion budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) this year, only five percent actually goes to school operations.
The P30 billion allocated to schools as operating budget accounts for around 30 percent of the total MOOE of the agency, he added.
He said the increase in the spending limit on school MOOE from P15,000 to P50,000 per item is insufficient to cover the needed improvements in classroom ventilation, installation of hand-washing facilities and setting up of school clinics, among others.
“This is the reason why we are calling on President Marcos to ask Congress to urgently legislate a supplemental budget to double the school MOOE for a safe 100-percent school reopening,” the ACT chair said.
“They can even get the funds from the excise taxes and VAT on oil products since the government is clearly cashing in from the steep and rampant oil price hikes. Since they are adamant in not suspending them, then at least these taxes can directly be used for education recovery through 100 percent reopening of schools,” he added.
Earlier, Marcos bared plans to implement 100-percent face-to-face classes by November.
The DepEd has yet to issue the guidelines for the incoming school year, which is expected to start by August.
Senators push pro-teacher bills
More benefits and protection for public school teachers are the focus of some priority measures being pushed by many senators in the 19th Congress.
Sen. Nancy Binay is calling on the government to ensure that all school staff are fully vaccinated and that schools are fully compliant with safety protocols even before the planned implementation of full face-to-face classes in November.
Binay said that necessary testing protocols must be in place to ensure the safety of teachers and students.
She also urged the Department of Health to fast-track giving booster shots to learners while they are on vacation. – Cecille Suerte Felipe