P500-M fund to boost state school programs that are in line with gov't growth areas

A P500-million educational program will boost certain courses and programs being offered in state colleges and universities that are in line with the government's priority growth areas, such as business process outsourcing (BPO). The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has signed a joint circular with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on the guidelines for the program's implementation, the department said Tuesday. "To better support the Administration’s goal of creating more jobs for our graduates and strengthening the economy, we have to produce competent graduates with highly specialized skills, particularly those that are well-suited to the needs of emerging and highly promising industries,” said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad. The courses considered in line with the government's high-gwoth areas also include those related to tourism, agriculture and fisheries. The P500-million fund will be charged under the 2012 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and, according to the joint cicrcular, will support the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlay (CO) requirements of state universities and colleges (SUCs) that have qualified for the program. These will include the improvement of existing academic programs and the development of necessary infrastructure. According to the DBM, the program will also allow SUCs to conduct industry-responsive training for students, teachers and other personnel. It will also fund priority research projects, such as on responsible mining technologies and precision farming. BPO-related programs will receive the largest share of the fund, P125 million. Agriculture and fisheries will get P115 million, while tourism and other emerging sectors will receive P105 million each. The Budget Department has also released P563 million to the Departments of Education (DepEd) and Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for DepEd's School Building Program, which will build, rehabilitate, replace, complete and repair elementary and secondary schools nationwide. Region IV-A will receive the largest share of the fund (P80.6 million), followed by Region III (P70.9 million) and the National Capital Region (P66.6 million). — BM, GMA News