Philippine Education to Worsen Due to Budget Cuts, Loren Warns

Senator Loren Legarda warned yesterday that the decreasing government support to state colleges and universities (SCUs) will cause further deterioration in the quality of higher education in the Philippines.

Legarda issued the statement in reaction to government pronouncements that SCUs should become self-sustaining and become less dependent on government subsidy.

“There’s nothing wrong for SCUs to become self-sustaining, but at this point that goal cannot be made the basis of reductions in their support from the state,” she said.

Legarda pointed out that as more and more Filipino families are unable to afford private education, public educational institutions are forced to absorb displaced students.

She cited findings contained in the report “Attaining the MDG and Sustainable Growth with Equity: 2008 Alternative Budget Initiative” that:

“From having 10 percent of all college students enrolled in SCUs as of 1980, it increased to 21 percent in 1994 and as of academic year 2002-2003, the figure was pegged to 34 percent.”

Enrolment in public higher education grew by an average of 9.62 percent from 1997 to 2003.

Legarda said that the increasing enrolment in SCUs also holds true as far as public elementary and secondary education is concerned.

The reason for the increase is also the same – lack of money for private education, she added.

While enrolment in public schools and universities are increasing, Legarda noted the decrease in government allocations for public education.

“The share of national government in SCUs’ financing has been steadily declining from 85 percent in 2001 to 77 percent in 2005,” said Legarda, citing the alternative budget report.

As schools are forced to shoulder their own expenses, SUC spending per student had declined from P17,000 in 2004 to P12,930 in 2006.

The proposed education budget for 2008 represents just 2.19 percent of gross national product, compared to the ideal six percent of GNP as pegged by the International Commission on Education for the 21 st Century.

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