The confidential fund and DepEd's misplaced priorities

Among all the issues surrounding the country's education system, Vice President Sara Duterte is still adamant about solving insurgency as the secretary of the Department of Education. While she had already dropped the request for confidential funds in 2024, there are a lot of things that have not been adding up following the 150M confidential funds last year.

Filipino children continue to be left behind in learning competencies. Last year, the Pogram for International Student Assessment (PISA) released the mathematics, science, and reading comprehension test results. The Philippines ranked in the bottom ten among 81 countries for the second time, showing little to no progress after ranking 79 in 2022 for reading comprehension. According to Alexander Sucalit, the officer-in-charge of the DepEd's Bureau of Education Assessment-Education Research Division, Filipino students are five to six years behind following the computation of PISA.

This outcome can be attributed to the lack of classrooms in various schools around the country. Classroom shortage rose to 159,000 in a statement released by DepEd in August 2023. The data is far more critical than 91,000 insufficiency in 2022. Packed in these classrooms are almost 40-50 students, not to mention insufficient chairs and rooms with no roof to accommodate the students.

As the lack of classrooms in the Philippines worsens, teachers, on the other hand, are still struggling to stay in their profession with low pay and benefits. Overloaded with paperwork and chores, it is no secret that the chances of providing quality education and producing competent and skilled students are also getting low. Teachers burdened with responsibilities and alarming working conditions contribute to the overall problem of the education system.

Students suffering from undernutrition are also one of the major issues; while it is a pressing conversation for the health sector, it is critical to know its consequences for the education sector. According to DepEd, more than 1.8 million students in public schools are suffering from undernutrition in 2019. Malnutrition is a severe problem in the country. It takes away 95 children daily, and it is also associated with poor performance of students in schools.

All these data show more urgent cases in the country's educational sector. Students are suffering and are left behind due to the declining quality of learning with poor facilities and overcrowded classrooms. Teachers are experiencing destructive working conditions and low salaries. Yet, the vice president is still insisting that insurgency and terrorism is an urgent matter.

"The youth is the hope of the country. However, they are being recruited, brought to use illegal drugs, criminality, violent extremism, and terrorism. We don’t want the future of the country to be like that,” the VP said in an interview.

While violence and terrorism are serious issues, it should be a low priority for the education sector. According to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., there are no more active New People's Army (NPA) guerilla fonts in the country and have neutralized 1,399 members of the group. DepEd only had confidential funds when VP Sara was appointed as the secretary after winning the 2022 national elections, hence the approval of 150 million secret funds in 2023.

Being appointed in the education sector means fulfilling its sole responsibility to "protect and promote the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based, and complete basic education." Funding matters that are outside the urgent concerns of the institution are simply wasting people's taxes. When given criticisms, VP Duterte should avoid being onion-skinned. Objections and comments from the masses and other public servants should not be treated as an attack.

A genuine reform to mend the crumbling education system should not be hidden behind confidential funds. DepEd can only serve students with a quality education when they set their priorities straight.