P1.015-trillion DepEd budget for 2026: Where the money goes

The Department of Education (DepEd) has been granted a P1.015-trillion budget for 2026, the largest allocation in its history.

It marks the first time that the Philippines has met UNESCO's benchmark that a country must allocate at least 4% of its GDP to education, and carries the government's stated aim to strengthen basic education by addressing long-standing gaps in classrooms, nutrition, learning materials, digital access, and teacher welfare.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara has said the challenge now is ensuring fast, fair, and effective use of the budget to deliver results on the ground.

Here is a breakdown of how the P1.015 trillion will be spent in 2026.

P705.79 billion for salaries, benefits, and personnel support

The biggest share of the budget—P705.79 billion—is allocated for the salaries and benefits of teachers and non-teaching personnel, reflecting DepEd’s focus on workforce stability and welfare.

Key items include:

• P471.06 billion for permanent positions, covering basic salaries, creation of new items, and reclassification of positions
• P1.74 billion for honoraria for teaching overload
• P4.82 billion for special hardship allowance for teachers in difficult or remote assignments
• P53.94 billion for retirement and life insurance premiums

P85 billion for classrooms and facilities

To address overcrowding and aging infrastructure, P85.40 billion is allocated to basic education facilities:

• P65.9 billion for the construction of 24,964 new classrooms
• P7.7 billion for repair and rehabilitation of 11,886 classrooms
• P4.2 billion for completion of infrastructure projects, leasing initiatives, and site validation
• P3.6 billion for additional 25,451 sets of desks, furniture, and fixtures
• P1.1 billion for the improvement of 258 Gabaldon school buildings
• P2 billion for three medium-rise school buildings
• P56 million for four community learning centers
• P209 million for 16 inclusive learning resource centers
• P1 billion for 72 library hubs
• P500 million for 333 priority school health facilities
• P330 million for Public-Private Partnership school infrastructure projects

P25.7 billion for School-Based Feeding Program

To combat malnutrition and improve learning readiness, P25.7 billion is allocated to the expanded School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP), targeting about 4.5 million learners.

The program covers:

• Universal feeding for Kinder and Grade 1 learners for 200 feeding days
• Expanded feeding from 120 to 180 days for wasted and severely wasted Grade 2 to Grade 6 learners
• Targeted feeding for nutritionally at-risk pregnant adolescents for 45 feeding days

P10.68 billion for computerization and school connectivity

To strengthen digital learning, P10.68 billion is allocated to the DepEd Computerization Program for equipment including:

• 29,000+ Smart TV units
• 60,000+ laptops for e-learning
• 250,000+ laptops for teaching personnel
• 9,000+ laptops for non-teaching staff
• Internet connectivity for 8,000+ school sites under the school-wide internet program

P19.51 billion for textbooks and learning materials

DepEd has allocated P19.51 billion to textbooks and other instructional materials, up from P12.41 billion the previous year.

The department aims to procure 103.93 million learning materials in 2026, compared with 97 million last year, to support updated curricula and improve textbook availability.

P5.67 billion for curriculum reform and learning recovery

For curriculum reform and learning recovery, P5.67 billion is allocated for the Basic Education Curriculum, including the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program.

This will benefit more than 12 million learners from Kinder to Grade 10, supporting:

• A revamped K to 10 curriculum
• Teacher training
• Reading and numeracy recovery programs
• Updated learning materials

P41.08 billion to support private schools

To expand access to quality education, P41.08 billion is allocated to government assistance and subsidies for private schools.

This includes:

• P2.23 billion for 117,150 grantees under the Joint Delivery Voucher Program for SHS-TVL
• P26.49 billion for 1.48 million grantees under the Senior High School Voucher Program
• P12.36 billion for 989,471 grantees under the Education Service Contracting program for private junior high schools
• Salary subsidies for 55,125 private school teachers, ranging from P18,000 to P24,000 annually

P60.89 billion for school operations and maintenance

For day-to-day school operations, P60.89 billion is allocated to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), covering:

• P36.19 billion for 37,564 elementary schools
• P16.7 billion for 10,510 junior high schools
• P8 billion for 7,693 senior high schools

A record budget under close watch

DepEd said the P1.015-trillion budget reflects a comprehensive approach—investing in infrastructure, nutrition, technology, curriculum reform, and teacher welfare, to improve learning outcomes and reduce education gaps nationwide.

As implementation begins, education stakeholders are expected to closely monitor how the record funding translates into real improvements inside classrooms and communities across the country. — BM, GMA Integrated News