The Department of Education plans to increase the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) fund for schools next year by 32.1 percent — from P37.6 billion to P49.7 billion.

This was disclosed by the DepEd’s operations and finance clusters two days before incoming Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara assumes the leadership of the country’s largest government agency, which oversees 1.1 million personnel.

Representatives from Angara’s office attended a crucial meeting on Monday held at Ecotech Cebu where preparations were made to defend the DepEd’s proposed 2025 budget in Congress.

Ana Marie Calapit, DepEd finance director, presented the rationale for the increased School MOOE allocation, citing the necessity to update the funding formula.

All 17 DepEd regional directors representing over 45,000 public schools nationwide welcomed the news.

They acknowledged that the augmented budget would significantly alleviate the financial constraints, particularly in smaller schools.

Notably, the National Capital Region will see a modest increase of 16 percent in its MOOE, from P2.3 billion to P2.7 billion, while the Cordillera Administrative Region will receive the biggest boost at 44.2 percent, rising from P910.7 million to P1.3 billion next year.

The increase in the school MOOE funds is seen as a timely response to field concerns and a fulfillment of the presidential directive to enhance the support for teachers, learners, and overall school operations.

For over a decade, MOOE allocations were determined using the Boncodin formula, which primarily considered factors such as student and teacher numbers, classrooms, and graduate students.

In contrast, the new formula, developed in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), incorporates insights gathered from a comprehensive survey of 10,000 schools. This approach, initiated last year and finalized in April 2024, integrates 27 key cost drivers essential for effective school operation.

Calapit emphasized that the ADB’s rigorous study and field research have instilled confidence in the new funding formula, ensuring that resources are efficiently allocated to support essential school functions.