Newsbreak Chats: Can Sara end the Philippine learning crisis with P100 billion in 6 years?

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte’s first order as education secretary was the mandatory resumption of face-to-face classes by November 2.

The Vice President called the opening day of classes on August 22 a “victory.” But the resumption of face-to-face classes showed that education woes from before the COVID-19 pandemic had stuck around – tens of thousands of classrooms still needed to be built, and teachers’ requests for salary raises remained in limbo. Meanwhile, many students were left behind by uneven access to the tools of distance learning.

In her department’s budget hearing at the House of Representatives, Duterte requested for an additional P100 billion on top of her lion’s share of P710 billion in the National Expenditure Program, saying that she would solve all of country’s problems in basic education in six years. (READ: Sara Duterte to fix education in 6 years if given P100 billion. Is this enough?)

Is Duterte’s request for additional funding the hope for Philippine education, or is it a declaration reminiscent of her father Rodrigo Duterte’s bold promises at the start of his term?

In this Newsbreak Chats episode, Rappler Head of Regions Inday Espina-Varona sits down with education reporter Bonz Magsambol to discuss the current learning crisis, how the P100 billion will be spent, and how the education department and vice presidency are led, Duterte-style. – Rappler.com

Watch other 2022 Newsbreak Chats episodes:

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• Keeping power within families
• Was there cheating in the 2022 Philippine elections?
• The good and bad that Marcos inherits from Duterte
• Online hate, real-life violence
• Why make Comelec beg for its own home?
• Unveiling Marcos ill-gotten wealth, vloggers’ infighting