#SulongSPED! Yes to Inclusion!

Did you know that in 2020 & 2021, the funds for the SPED equipment in the PH received zero budget? Know more about the SPED fund by reading this set of infographics!

During the budget deliberations for the 2021 National Expenditure Program of the Department of Education, the Special Education (SPED) equipment gets zero allocation in the proposed budget. Senate Committee on Basic Education chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian noticed that the P300-million fund for SPED that is used for the procurement of special facilities and equipment last 2020 was no longer included in the 2021 SPED Fund.

According to the Education Undersecretary for Finance Sevilla, they do not see that the zero allocation for SPED would be a big problem. On the contrary, Gatchalian pointed out the importance of having additional support with the funds to ensure that our students with additional needs (SWANs) will be given the support they need in continuing their education in the middle of the pandemic. With this, Gatchalian calls for the reinstatement of SPED equipment budget for our learners with special needs.

The UP College of Education Student Council, together with its partner organizations, strongly supports the call in reinstating the funds for the Special Education (SPED) equipment. We call on our lawmakers and administrators to reconsider the needs of our students with additional needs, given the added difficulties in learning brought upon by the pandemic. Instead of investing the taxpayers’ money on miscellaneous expenses which benefits no one, we urge our government to reassess the budget, and even their priorities, especially in the field of education. We call on our administrators to review our existing policies that aim to respond to the needs of the SWANs, and contextualize it to their current situations.

Even before the pandemic, the education sector already suffers from underfunding and lack of support from the government. It is our mandate as educators to ensure that no student shall be left behind. It is only through our collective efforts that we may attain the true essence of #WalangIwanan—that even in the time of a health crisis, our right to a quality, accessible, and inclusive education should not be neglected. Together is how we will move forward.

Sulong, SPED! Fund Philippine SPED! Yes to Inclusion!

UPDATE: In the 50th General Assembly of Student Councils, the UP College of Education Student Council’s two resolutions were officially adopted by the body. The first resolution is entitled “A Resolution Urging the GASC to Call for Quality, Accessible, and Relevant Education Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The second resolution is entitled “A Resolution Urging the GASC to Demand for the Yearly Instatement and Proper Distribution of the Special Education (SPED) Fund.”

Photo from UP Vista.

#SulongSPED #YesToInclusion #TugonTayo