THE SENATE Finance Subcommittee D on Tuesday ended the deliberations on the Department of Education’s 2025 proposed budget.

Senator Pia Cayetano, vice chairperson of the Senate Finance Committee, declared the proposed budget of the Department of Education and its attached agencies for 2025 deemed submitted for plenary approval.

Of the P793.177 billion proposed budget, P745.8 million will go to the Office of the Secretary; the National Academy of Sports will get P253.4 million; National Book Development Board, P146.4 million; National Council for Children’s Television, P65.6 million; National Museum of the Philippines, P1.3 billion; Philippine High School for the Arts, P110.6 million; and Early Childhood Care And Development Council, P353 million.

The department’s 2025 budget is higher by 4.11 percent than the DepEd’s P762.095-billion 2024 budget.

During the deliberations, Senator Joel Villanueva underscored the importance of convergence and coordination among the government agencies in the education sector.

Villanueva said it is important to have a convergence with the different educational institutions and agencies.

“I am a very passionate advocate of a supermarket of competencies. I always believe that we cannot box our education system,” Villanueva said.

“Everything is changing except change and the education and world of work have changed tremendously with the emergence of artificial intelligence. I believe this is what our education system needs,” he added.