The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, urged the city’s Local School Board to conduct a summit for all stakeholders on special education fund purpose and utilization as part of the city government’s aggressive information and education campaign on its programs, projects and activities.
In a resolution, the city councilors stated all the city’s education stakeholders must be convene through a summit to aggressively promote awareness, transparency while leveling up their trust and confidence with the city government.
The council added that mustering their suggestions and recommendations will likewise strengthen their involvement and sense of commitment for better collaboration that will surely result to a more responsive education program for students living in the city.
The stakeholders that will be required to actively participate in the proposed summit shall include school heads, teaching and non-teaching personnel representatives or officers, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) officers, representatives from the student, local leaders, local school board members and school division officials.
The Philippine Constitution cites that the State affirms utmost regard to quality education with its declaration that it shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality learning at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
The council noted that an essential part of the present administration’s service agenda is on responsive education programs which convenes all education stakeholders through quality education, school personnel empowerment plus providing necessary support and significant budget assistance for the advancement of the education sectors in the city.
Republic Act (RA) 5447 or An Act Creating a Special Education Fund and Section 272 of RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines mandated all local government units to allocate a budget arising from the additional 1 percent tax on real property intended for the operation and maintenance of public schools, facilities and school equipment, education research, sports development among others.
The body claimed that in support and compliance to the mandate that the city government has allocated a total budget of some P107 million under the special education for the current year, another P40 million was approved as part of the same under the approved annual budget of the city.
The council tasked the City Schools Division Office to coordinate with the concerned stakeholders as to the schedule of the conduct of the summit for them to attend the said activity and submit to the concerned offices their suggestion and recommendations on the utilization of the Special Education Fund for the optimum benefit of the city’s academe sector.
The council expressed optimism the proposed summit will be convened the soonest possible time for the affected sectors to suggest and make recommendations to improve the utilization of the annual special education fund being allocated for the city’s academe that will be beneficial in improving the state of education in the city amidst the ongoing pandemic. By Dexter A. See
