IP education group urges more funding for program

CONSOLATION PAY The education department has allowed a small payback to overworked teachers. INQUIRER file photo / GRIG C.MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines – A group advocating for indigenous peoples education (IPEd) urged more funding after a proposed P80.1-million cut in the program’s budget for 2025.

At a forum marking World Teachers’ Day on Saturday, the Lubos na Alyansa ng mga Katutubong Ayta ng Sambales (LAKAS) decried the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed P74.3-million allocation for next year, less than half of last year’s P154.4 million.

“Ang pagtuturo namin ay 100 percent para mapabuti ang kalagayan ng mga katutubong mag-aaral, hindi kalahati. Hindi namin mabibigyan ang aming mag-aaral ng de-kalidad na edukasyon sa kakarampot na budget,” LAKAS members and IPEd teachers Caren Maca and Roger Jugatan said.

(Our teaching is 100 percent for the betterment of our indigenous students, not half. We cannot give our students quality education with a measly budget.)

READ: Prioritize indigenous peoples’ education

The Civil Society Network for Education Reforms (E-Net Philippines), which organized the forum, called for a “new social contract” for more equitable and inclusive access to quality education.

“We cannot afford to leave anyone behind, be it a teacher, a learner, or a community,” E-Net National Coordinator Joelyn Soldevilla-Biag said.

READ: Inclusive bill for IPs

DepEd instituted the program in 2011 and served 2.529 million IP learners in its first decade.