Student councils oppose education budget cut, urge government for total cancellation of debt servicing instead
For immediate release
GIBBY GORRES – (0917) 362.7480
SCAP Secretariat – (0916) 5510.526
Student councils oppose education budget cut, urge government for total cancellation of debt servicing instead
State University student councils who are members of the national organization Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) vehemently denounce the expressed intention of the government to cut education budget for the next fiscal year.
University of the Philippines College of Social Sciences and Philosophy Student Council and SCAP-NCR Chair Oyie Javelosa said that the direct effect of the intended budget cut against the education sector will unquestionably further marginalize the sector and might even contribute to the rapidly disturbing increase of out-of-school youth.
Using the SCAP data, the presumption is that government schools will be 1.7% lower than last year’s budget. Together with its allied organizations Akbayan Youth and Movement for the Advancement of Student Power, SCAP pushes foreign debt cancellation as a clear-cut alternative to shun away from any contemplation of slashing education budget.
“Of course the government is aware of the real depressing situation of our education system. We don’t have to make them realize that. What we intend to press on is the fact that mere political will to stop debt servicing or even deplete the funds being appropriated thereof would undeniably address this seemingly recurrent problem”, asserted Javelosa.
From the P1.64 trillion budget proposal for FY 2011, State universities and Colleges (SUCs) are about to receive P23.08 billion marking an obvious more than one percent drop off from last years fund.
“With the new administration, hope exists that maybe, youth concerns on proper financing will be properly addressed since for the past years, whenever budget deliberations come, the issue on budget especially for education sector appears to be perennial even if the tenable answer is quite obvious. We really urge the legislators to put the option of refusing to pay debts in a greater consideration”, said Gibby Gorres, SCAP Deputy Sec-Gen.
Two of the primary state universities UP and PNU, as expected, are greatly affected. Philippine Normal University’s budget slashed by 23.59% while UP is about to receive the blow of P1.3 billion in budget cut.
The said youth groups with broader coalitions will stage mobilizations outside the House of Representatives once the deliberations have started to express non-appreciation of the budget cut and to relay their message of concrete alternative.
“We don’t just steal scenes and destroy public properties to demand. We propose alternative that is deemed material and may bear essential output. It is the government leaders’ duty to respond appropriately and prioritize what is due for the people” Gorres quipped. ##
