EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara has issued a strong warning against further budget cuts for the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2025, citing the recently launched Quality Basic Education Development Plan (QBEDP) 2025–2035.
Angara stressed that the department will closely monitor the budget to prevent a repeat of last year’s P12-billion reduction, which significantly hampered the planned modernization of classrooms and digitalization efforts. The bulk of the 2024 cuts, a staggering P10 billion, targeted DepEd’s computerization program.
Angara, a former Senate finance committee chair, highlighted the potential for the budget cuts to derail crucial initiatives outlined in the QBEDP.
This 10-year roadmap prioritizes decentralization, partnerships, and digital transformation, requiring substantial funding for internet connectivity expansion, curriculum upgrades, teacher promotions, and the expansion of TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) certifications for students.
The success of the QBEDP, designed to address challenges such as learning poverty and infrastructure backlogs acknowledged by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in his recent address, is directly dependent on adequate funding.
Any further cuts risk undermining the ambitious goals of the plan and hindering progress towards improving the quality and accessibility of education nationwide.
