ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro called for a substantial increase in the education budget for the hiring of more teachers, construction of more classrooms, and to bridge the learning gap among Filipino students.

“Our education system is in dire need of improvement. To adequately address the learning gap and provide quality education for all, we must prioritize investing in education infrastructure,” Castro said.

“With the projected GDP of P25.409 trillion in 2024 the government should spend about P1.525 trillion on education. However, the proposed 2024 budget for Education is only P924.7 billion, a very minimal increase from last year’s P895.2 billion. Such scant funding cannot fill in the many shortages in education, which is integral in education recovery,” she added.

Castro stressed the need to construct 91,000 classrooms, and to hire 147,000 more teachers to cut down the class size to 35 students.

“This is crucial if we want to uplift the quality of education. This will only cost the government another P54 billion,” she said.

“Building more classrooms and hiring more teachers are crucial steps in ensuring that every Filipino child has access to a conducive learning environment. We cannot expect students to thrive academically if they are crammed into overcrowded classrooms or if there is a shortage of competent teachers,” the lawmaker added.