The Department of Education (DepEd) and four national agencies have formalized new rules expanding the efficient use of the special education fund (SEF) to support early-grade literacy, feeding programs, and academic recovery.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said local government units hold a powerful tool in addressing learning gaps, referring to the SEF and the expanded set of programs now allowed under updated national guidelines.

Angara highlighted the signing of the joint circular on the omnibus guidelines for the use of the SEF, formalized by DepEd, the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Finance.

The joint circular updates previous issuances governing the SEF, particularly JC No. 1 of 2017 and JC Nos. 1 and 2 of 2020. The revised scope of allowable expenses enables local government units to directly support recent education laws, including the Early Childhood Care and Development Program Act, the National Feeding Program, and the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program Act.

The new rules also broaden how local government units may use the SEF to fund digital tools for classrooms, Alternative Learning System initiatives, inclusive education programs, and parental-engagement activities. The updated guidelines likewise expand local school board membership to include ALS implementers, parents of children with disabilities, and representatives from local technical-vocational and higher education institutions.

Angara said the reforms are anchored on the need for more focused, inclusive, and well-supported schools—especially in communities struggling with reading proficiency and foundational learning skills.

He also underscored the wider role that local government units will play in classroom construction beginning 2026.

Under a proposed special provision in the General Appropriations Act, local government units may participate directly in building new education facilities using national appropriations, cost-sharing arrangements, or local resources.

DepEd is eyeing the efficient use of its P85.4-billion allocation for 25,500 new classrooms and other school facilities as part of efforts to close the nationwide backlog.

Local government units are expected to assist DepEd in validating classroom shortages, overseeing construction funded by national downloads, identifying facilities that can be leased as temporary learning spaces, and expediting land titling and building permits.