To address the perennial problem of classroom shortage
ANGARA EYES 5-YEAR BUILDING PLAN FOR DEPED

Sen. Edgardo J. Angara today urged the Department of Education to formulate a 5-year building plan geared towards addressing the perennial backlog in the construction of classrooms and school buildings in the country.

"We need to formulate a plan which can convince our people, our taxpayers and even the private sector that it is worth investing in. We keep on putting in billions of money for classroom and school buildings and yet we can't address the perpetual problem of shortage and overcrowding," said Angara who chairs the Senate Finance sub-committee C.

He added, "We need to put together that kind of program in order to attract foreign donors, private investors and other funding agencies. By formulating a doable program, we can now tap on creative financing schemes such as tax schemes, incentives and Build-Operate-Transfer strategy."

For FY 2009, the budget for Capital Outlay of the department was reduced by 15% to Php 10.852 Billion from Php 12.746 Billion for the current year. This reduced the appropriated amount for the construction of school buildings by 35% from Php 5.760 Billion in 2008 to Php 3.760 Billion. However, budget for repairs and rehabilitation of classrooms, school buildings, water and sanitation facilities increased by 38%.

Angara also proposed the inclusion of factors which can affect the amount of resources needed for the construction of school buildings. He noted that factors such as condemnation, typhoons and calamities will affect our effectiveness to address classroom shortage and we need to factor it in the 5-year plan.

Other factors such as increase in enrolment rate were also proposed to be considered in the plan.

"After addressing this perennial problem of classroom shortage, we can now focus our efforts on substantive issues such as teacher education and training, student scholarship which are all geared towards quality education," Angara added.

Angara served as the former chairman of the Congressional Commission on Education. He has also sponsored laws that resulted in the creation of the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority, both of which enabled the Department of Education to focus on its main concern - basic education.

He also sponsored the Free High School Act that ensured secondary education even for the poorest and the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE), the country's biggest scholarship program in private schools.