Inquirer: Truth behind classroom shortage
Inquirer
Last updated 01:34am (Mla time) 04/18/2007
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her minions are beginning to sound alike. Earlier, Ms Arroyo blamed the high incidence of hunger on the citizens’ penchant for “luxuries” such as texting and smoking. Now, Education Secretary Jesli Lapus is blaming the country’s high rate of birth as the cause of classroom shortage.
Let’s start with the facts. The government, according to a Unesco study, should be spending 6 percent of the GDP (gross domestic product) on education; instead it appropriates a measly 3 percent.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has admitted it lacks 45,775 classrooms, based on a ratio of 45 students to one classroom. According to the President, the budget is now ready to provide 14,000 classrooms more this year. Will that answer the lack of classrooms? No. the DepEd still needs to put up 31,775, at least.
“Every minute, four babies are born. It’s like every 10 minutes, I’m short of one classroom,” Lapus said. Why would Lapus blame the population growth rate as the cause of classroom shortage? Simple. Because he, along with other Palace lapdogs, has been tasked to cover up their boss’ inability and lack of sincerity to save this country.
The lack of classrooms did not stem from overpopulation. It started when the State misallocated the national budget (which could have paid for basic social services like education) to follow the dictates of the World Bank and other “generous” foreign lending imperialists.
Apparently, this government has no balls to repeal former President Ferdinand Marcos’ Presidential Decree 1177 which provides for the automatic appropriation of tax revenues for debt service; and former President Corazon Aquino’s Executive Order 292, which instituted Section 26 of the Revised Administrative Code of 1987 providing automatic appropriation for the payment of principal and interest on public debt.
If the government were sincere in addressing the education crisis, it could have done so by not “overfeeding” the administration-led House of Representatives with pork. It could have done so by not making it appear that the budget for state universities and colleges is P34 billion short of the budget of the Department of National Defense. It could have done so by exercising political will to impose a cap on debt servicing and start prioritizing the people’s welfare.
Unfortunately, it needs more money for its political survival.
KARLA HYASMIND APAT, vice president for Mindanao, Kabataan Party List (via e-mail)