MANILA, Philippines — Malacanang has asked Congress to expedite the passage of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed P 606.6 billion budget for 2021 to enable the agency to fully shift to flexible learning methods amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement on Sunday night, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque assured parents and students of the DepEd’s readiness as classes open in public schools on Monday, October 5.
“The system may not be perfect and there may be issues as we shift to flexible learning, which includes modular learning and supplemented by broadcast and online classes; but we are confident that DepEd would address these challenges,” Roque said.
He added: “In this connection, we ask Congress to expedite the passing of DepEd’s budget, which includes support to these new learning approaches.”
Under the P 4.506 trillion proposed national budget for 2021, the DepEd will get P 606.6 billion in allocations for next year, or 9.54 percent higher than its P 552.9 billion budget for 2020.