Congress allots P1.38T to education program
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said Congress’ bicameral conference committee has so far allocated P1.38 trillion to education, or 4.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, and “a clear push for learning recovery, better classrooms and stronger support for teachers.”
“This is a historic investment in education and a clear statement of our priorities,” Gatchalian said, noting that education would receive the largest share of the 2026 national budget.
The senator’s remarks also came following the release of the 2024 Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics, which found that Grade 5 Filipino learners are behind their Southeast Asian peers in reading.
Low reading proficiency
The study shows that 27 percent of Grade 5 learners have very low reading proficiency.
It also found that in the Philippines, textbook availability is linked to higher learning outcomes.
“Unfortunately, 52 percent of Grade 5 learners have only one reading textbook, while 42 percent share a reading textbook with at least one other student. Only 13 percent have reached the minimum proficiency and just 14 percent have high reading proficiency,” Gatchalian said, citing results of the study.
