PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is advocating for increased funding for the education sector, following a budget cut for the Department of Education and a lack of funding for key programs under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in 2025.

In a meeting with DepEd officials at Malacañan Palace on Thursday, Marcos reviewed the department’s proposed budget for 2025 and stressed the importance of prioritizing education.

“We have to be able to show that education is the priority,” he remarked during the meeting, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in a news release on Friday.

Marcos was informed that the DepEd’s reduced budget could worsen the ongoing issue of teacher shortages in the country. Congress approved a PHP737 billion budget for DepEd, which is lower than the department’s proposed PHP748 billion for 2025.

The budget reductions include cuts to new school personnel positions, the Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF), and the DepEd Computerization Program (DCP).

The DepEd highlighted that the budget cuts for new school personnel would worsen the teacher shortage, a problem that has only been partially addressed in previous years, further impacting the quality of education.

Additionally, the department proposed PHP12.379 billion for the DCP but was only allocated PHP2.43 billion. As a result, DepEd had to cancel approximately PHP4 billion worth of DCP projects that had already undergone early procurement activities.

The department noted that this reduction would affect the provision of essential tools for learners and teachers, including laptops, smart TVs, and satellite-based Internet connections.

The cut in the BEFF is also expected to slow the construction of new school buildings, further limiting educational infrastructure.

In addition, Marcos expressed his support for TESDA’s plan to explore financing options for its unfunded programs.

While TESDA’s budget increased by PHP20.73 billion in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, compared to the proposed PHP18.5 billion in the 2025 National Expenditure Program, several important programs remained unfunded.

Among the unfunded programs are the establishment of an Enterprise-based Training Office and a new office for the Negros Island Region.