The Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking a P928.52-billion budget for 2026, saying a huge portion will go to easing classroom shortages, fighting child hunger, and filling resource gaps for millions of learners and teachers nationwide.

Presented to the Senate finance committee, the proposed allocation is equivalent to a historic 4 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. It focuses on urgent needs in public schools while laying the groundwork for long-term reforms.

“Malaki pa ang hamon na hinaharap natin sa sektor ng edukasyon, ngunit malinaw ang direksyon — bawat pondo ay para sa mga guro at mag-aaral. Mahalagang puhunan ang suporta ng ating Pangulo at ng ating mga mambabatas upang tugunan ang mga agarang pangangailangan habang binubuo natin ang matibay na pundasyon ng edukasyon,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.

DepEd said P13.2 billion will be used to build nearly 4,900 new classrooms in 2026 to help reduce overcrowding. Through public-private partnerships and local government cooperation, the agency aims to deliver up to 40,000 more classrooms by 2028.

An additional P11.8 billion will sustain the School-Based Feeding Program to provide proper meals for all Kindergarten students and malnourished pupils in Grades 1 to 6.

The department also earmarked P16 billion for laptops for teachers and internet connectivity in offline schools to support digital transformation.

A record P6 billion will be allocated to teacher career progression, funding promotions for an estimated 113,000 teachers and school heads.

DepEd said progress will be tracked through monthly public dashboards and open government initiatives to ensure transparency. Lawmakers and the public will be able to monitor the number of classrooms built, meals served, and digital tools distributed.

“Ang edukasyon ay hindi natatapos sa isang taon o sa isang budget cycle. Ito ay pangmatagalang laban na nangangailangan ng matatag na suporta ng pamahalaan, ng pribadong sektor, at ng bawat Pilipino,” Angara added.

He thanked senators for their support and expressed optimism that Congress would make fiscal space for critical programs.