THE SENATE Committee on Finance has accepted Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s proposal to add funding for the Department of Education’s School Electrification Program.

The Senate’s Committee Report on the General Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2025 or House Bill No. 10800 added P500 million to the P1.295 billion allotted to the School Electrification Program.

The program seeks the provision of electricity to unenergized or off-grid schools and modernize the electrical systems of on-grid schools.

“As we all know, some of our schools are still left in the dark and I would like to thank the Senate Committee on Finance for adding P500 million to the School Electrification Program,” Gatchalian said.

While other countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia already achieved universal access, the Philippines still faces challenges when it comes to the complete electrification of schools.

Citing DepEd data, a 2024 research paper by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies found that 1,562 schools still had no electricity connection as of 2020.

The study also found that as of 2020, 39,335 schools need upgrading of their electrical connections.

A study published by the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies also found that on average, energized elementary schools performed 12% better on the National Achievement Test than schools that do not have electricity.

Secondary schools with electricity also performed 10% better than unenergized ones.

“Bago natin tuluyang maisulong ang mas malawakang pag-gamit ng teknolohiya sa ating mga paaralan, mahalagang tiyakin natin na may kuryente ang lahat ng ating mga paaralan. Kasabay ito ng ating pagsisikap na mabigyan ang ating mga paaralan ng dekalidad na pasilidad para sa kanilang pag-aaral,” the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education added.