TESDA pitches slightly lower budget for 2023 at P13.7 billion

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is seeking a P13.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2023, based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

This was slightly lower from its 2022 budget amounting to P14.02 billion.

The proposed appropriations include the P236.9 million set aside for the agency employees' retirement and life insurance premiums.

Bulk of the total proposed budget was allocated for Technical Education and Skills Development Program at P12.79 billion.

This was followed by the Technical Education and Skills Development Regulatory Program at P79.6 million, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Policy Program at P46.6 million.

A special provision in the budget document states that P2.9 billion appropriated for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education under the Promotion, Development and Implementation of Quality Technical Education and Skills Development Programs shall be used to cover the cost of tertiary education for all Filipino students enrolled in Technical Vocational Institutions registered under TESDA.

This amount will cover the tuition and other school fees of the students for 2023.

Another P1.9 billion for the Special Training for Employment Program will also be used for the conduct of community-based specialty training.

Meanwhile, a P1 billion will be for the Tulong Trabaho Fund used to strengthen the qualification of the Filipino workforce to meet the challenges of the evolving workplaces and work structures.

The program also aims to provide for more innovative approaches to Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) linked to the requirement of industry to address unemployment and job-skills mismatch; facilitate access to quality TVET; and encourage the participation of industry and communities in competencies formation and upgrading towards a more competitive Filipino workforce.

A special provision also said that teachers of equivalent positions in TESDA-Supervised Institutions will be entitled to the benefits granted to teachers under the Department of Education (DepEd).

The 1987 Constitution mandates that the education sector, composed of the DepEd, TESDA, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), be given the highest budgetary priority.

The DBM said the education sector in general is set to receive P852.8 billion for 2023.—LDF, GMA News