Education, science budgets hiked

The education and science and technology departments expect their respective budgets for 2012 to be higher after Malacañang approved the initial draft for a P1.8 trillion national budget for deliberations in Congress.

Both Education Secretary Armin Luistro and Science Secretary Mario Montejo confirmed the increases in their respective budgets for next year, noting greater confidence in their departments.

“The DoST (Department of Science and Technology) is now given importance. We are now given a chance to prove ourselves and come up with solutions,” said Montejo in a recent briefing with reporters.

He said DoST was expecting a significant increase in its budget, but he would not say how much.

Luistro said Malacañang has approved a P237 billion budget for the Department of Education for next year, 14-percent higher than this year’s P207 billion.

DepEd hopes to build 40,000 classrooms by 2012 in partnership with the private sector, Luistro said.