DepEd requests P926.8B budget, 17% increase from 2025

The Department of Education (DepEd) is requesting a budget of P926.8 billion for 2026, marking a 17% increase from its 2025 allocation of P779.2 billion.

The education sector's share of the national budget is the largest, as mandated by the Constitution, with additional allocations to State Universities and Colleges (P134.99 billion), the Commission on Higher Education (P34 billion), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (P20.24 billion).

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. views improvements in education as a key measure of his administration's success, with the total government education budget for 2026 reaching P1.224 trillion or 4% of GDP, meeting the UNESCO 2030 Incheon Declaration target.

For basic education facilities, the government has allocated P28 billion in 2026 to address a shortage of around 165,000 classrooms, with costs ranging from P2.5 million to P3.8 million per classroom.

The Senate is investigating ways to reduce classroom construction costs following public criticism over a P12-billion budget cut for DepEd in 2025.