Press Release
October 19, 2011

ANGARA: REVISIT GOV'T POLICY ON TERTIARY EDUCATION
SHARE IN NAT'L BUDGET

Senator Edgardo J. Angara emphasized the need to revisit government policy on the share of tertiary education in the national budget during the hearing on the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and State Universities and Colleges (SUC's).

"Our country ranks second lowest in the ASEAN in terms of of spending per head for education in relation to national income. We have to start climbing up," said Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

Encouraging the SUC's, Angara said, "We must talk to the political leadership--call on the President and the members of Congress to increase allocation for education."

Stressing the need to benchmark our academic programs with the rest of the world, Angara underscored the need for two-fold reform in the said sector: increased support for tertiary education from the National Government, and the stricter implementation of accreditation systems coupled with rigorous curriculum review.

"We must provide the financial help needed by these institutions, and maybe even lessen regulation, but then they must commit to accept structural and strategic reform that will allow us to improve the quality of our education," he said.

Angara also urged CHED Chair Patricia Licuanan to explore halting the issuance of licenses to new private schools and close down non-performing schools.

Angara, a former UP President, also encouraged SUC Presidents in attendance to focus on generating their own income to supplement appropriations from the National Government.

"The reality is, the government pie is not going to grow bigger. And so while we commit to reviewing and pushing for increased allocation for SUC's, you also should exert effort in generating your own income because your resources are there, and you have the mandate to keep and spend it," he stressed.

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