Gov’t hikes 2013 budget of SUCS by P11.2 billion

The Aquino administration revealed yesterday that it has increased the budget for public tertiary education, or of state universities and colleges (SUCs) for 2013, by P11.2 billion, for a total of P37.1 billion.

Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said this amount is 43.6 percent higher compared for this year (2012) which is P25.8 billion, as they strengthen SUC performance and improve student welfare through better infrastructure.

“In preparing the SUC budget for 2013, we were instructed by President Aquino to concretize the roadmap for higher education as part of this administration’s reform agenda,” he said in a statement.

“This way, the delivery of higher education will be more efficient and accessible. Following the roadmap will also allow SUCs to develop their students’ capabilities so they’re well-prepared to join the work force,” Abad said.

Of the proposed P37.1 billion, P25.13 billion will support personnel services, which went up by 21.6 percent for the implementation of the fourth tranche of the Salary Standardization Law III to raise the salaries of SUC teachers and staff.

Another P6.4 billion will cover maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), which will “help bolster institutional improvements, research initiatives, extension services, and the quality of instruction across all SUCs.”

“Improvements in teaching quality and the establishment of quality assurance systems in SUCs are attainable not just through better compensation for our teachers. To support these initiatives, MOOE will also receive normative funding,” Abad said.

“Fund support will therefore be based on a set criteria to bolster our rationalization efforts in SUCs, so that more programs and courses respond directly to growing industry demands,” he added.

The rationalization of SUCs entails the mapping out of leading universities in all regions, centers of excellence, as well as centers of development.

Besides developing high-level professional disciplines or courses demanded by the market, the rationalization plan will also align college academic programs according to SUCs’ leading regional industries.

Meanwhile, P3.36 billion of the total budget will be used for capital outlay to support the infrastructure needs of state-supported colleges and universities, bringing up the total capital outlay (CO) budget for 2013 by a 664 percent.

“The administration recognizes the severe need for capital outlay support in SUCs, which will receive their CO allocations directly. This will jumpstart developments in infrastructure and enable SUCs to acquire laboratory equipment and other necessary facilities to boost their competitiveness and academic capacities,” Abad said.

The budget chief further noted that the University of the Philippines (UP) is set to receive a P3.9-billion increase in their budget, raising their total 2013 allocation to P10 billion.

Under the 2013 budget for all UP campuses, CO support rose from P190 million in 2012 to P1.45 billion, while the allocation for personnel services was pegged at P6.5 billion, up by P1.2 billion from this year.

Finally, MOOE activities under UP will receive a 188.2-percent boost amounting to P2 billion, which will cover research and other related activities for the university’s nationwide campuses.

The remaining amount will be devoted to retirement and life insurance premium support for faculty and staff.