SENATE Finance Committee Chairman Juan Edgardo Angara on Tuesday confirmed that education remains the top budgetary priority as he endorsed the proposed 2024 General Appropriations Bill for plenary deliberations.

He said that the Senate increased the budgets for the Department of Education and its attached agencies, the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and State Universities and Colleges.

“Ayon nga naman sa Saligang Batas, hinihikayat na mabigyan ng pinakamataas na prayoridad ang edukasyon pagdating sa pambansang badyet,” Angara said.

“Another trend that our budget wishes to encourage is the continuous improvement of our educational system. Not only do we seek to make up for the learning losses our children experienced throughout the pandemic, we also aim to set them and future generations on the path to becoming productive Filipino citizens, who are more than ready for the fast-changing world of work,” he added.

Angara said that possible solutions and legislative reforms have been identified to address the problems and concerns identified by the Second Congressional Commission on Education, which is finding ways to improve the educational system.