MANILA, Philippines — Public schools could receive a larger operating budget next year as the Department of Education (DepEd) moves to simplify how government funds are distributed.
Under the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), direct funding for public-school operations is set at ₱61.02 billion, slightly above the ₱60.89 billion allocated under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
DepEd said the increase forms part of a broader effort to make school funding more responsive to enrollment and basic operational needs.
DepEd changes how school funding is calculated
The department is now fully implementing its Simplified Normative Funding Formula, replacing the previous system that relied on several fixed parameters and detailed computations.
Under the new approach, funding is based more directly on school enrollment and baseline school data, with the goal of ensuring that schools receive the operational resources needed to maintain basic services.
DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said simplifying the formula should reduce administrative bottlenecks and allow school administrators and teachers to focus more on education and learner welfare.
The reform is also intended to make the distribution of operating funds faster and more equitable.
Per-learner funding continues to climb
The proposed 2027 budget includes higher Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) allocations per learner across all major levels of basic education.
For Kindergarten to Grade 6, the proposed allocation rises to ₱2,982 per learner, compared with:
- ₱2,792 in 2026
- ₱2,140 in 2025
- ₱1,389 in 2024
For Junior High School, Grades 7 to 10, the proposed amount reaches ₱2,744 per learner, up from ₱2,631 in 2026, ₱2,201 in 2025 and ₱1,844 in 2024.
Meanwhile, Senior High School funding would increase to ₱3,558 per learner, compared with ₱3,264 in 2026, ₱2,784 in 2025 and ₱2,306 in 2024.
What is MOOE?
MOOE—or Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses—provides schools with funding for day-to-day operational requirements.
The money supports the basic expenses needed to keep public schools functioning, making the allocation an important part of school-level operations.
The proposed increase therefore comes as DepEd seeks to strengthen direct operational support while changing the way those funds are calculated and distributed.
The bigger picture: funding schools based on actual needs
The change is not simply about increasing the overall amount.
DepEd’s new funding approach is designed to move away from a more complicated formula based on multiple fixed parameters and toward a normative model using enrollment and baseline school information.
That distinction could affect how individual schools receive their operating allocations.
Instead of relying primarily on predetermined unit costs, the department says the new system is intended to ensure schools receive the resources necessary to meet basic service standards.
A gradual increase since 2024
The latest figures show a continuing upward movement in per-learner MOOE allocations.
For example, the proposed Senior High School allocation of ₱3,558 per learner in 2027 is substantially higher than the ₱2,306 recorded in 2024.
The same trend appears at the elementary and junior-high levels, with per-learner allocations increasing each year from 2024 through the proposed 2027 figures.
However, the 2027 figures are proposed allocations under the NEP, meaning they are part of the government’s proposed budget rather than a final enacted appropriation.
Why the 2027 proposal matters
For school administrators and teachers, the issue goes beyond the headline ₱61-billion figure.
How funding is distributed can determine how much operational support individual schools receive, while the per-learner increases provide a clearer picture of the government’s proposed direction for school-level spending.
DepEd says the simplified formula is intended to remove unnecessary administrative hurdles while expanding operational support based on learner numbers and school needs.
If approved as proposed, the 2027 budget would continue the recent upward trend in direct school operating support.
But the bigger question is what those additional resources will mean inside classrooms—and whether the new formula can deliver funding to schools more quickly and equitably.
WWC ONE MEDIA G,A
