DepEd Raises School Operating Funds to Strengthen Classroom Resources

MAKATI CITY, April 13, 2026 — Public schools across the Philippines are set to receive bigger operating budgets after the Department of Education approved a substantial increase in Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced on Monday.

Angara said the expanded funding under the 2026 national budget is meant to help schools cope with higher day-to-day costs while improving the overall quality of services and classroom operations. He emphasized that DepEd is focusing on getting more resources directly to schools, where the need is most immediate.

Under the revised allocations, elementary schools will receive Php2,792 per learner in 2026. That marks a notable rise from Php2,140 in 2025 and Php1,389 in 2024.

For Junior High School, the MOOE allocation will increase to Php2,631 per student, up from Php2,201 last year and Php1,844 in 2024.

At the Senior High School level, the amount will climb to Php3,264 per learner, compared with Php2,784 in 2025 and Php2,306 two years earlier.

Angara said the increase reflects the administration’s commitment to strengthening public education by making sure schools have enough resources to support both teachers and students.

He added that sending more funds directly to schools would help ensure that classrooms are better equipped and that learners have the support they need to perform well.

The higher allocations are expected to continue in 2027, with proposed per-student funding reaching Php2,982 for elementary, Php2,744 for Junior High School, and Php3,558 for Senior High School.

The department is also moving away from its previous funding method, which depended on a rigid formula based on fixed factors such as enrollment, number of teachers, classrooms, and graduates. While comprehensive, the system had long been criticized for being too complicated.

To replace it, DepEd is adopting the Simplified Normative Funding Formula (SNFF), a model that uses enrollment figures and other basic school data to estimate the minimum resources needed for schools to meet service standards.

According to DepEd, the new formula is intended to streamline budget distribution and make it more responsive to actual school needs. Rather than relying mainly on per-capita computation, the SNFF is designed to identify the core resources and services required for schools to function effectively.

The department said the larger MOOE allocations and the rollout of the new funding model form part of a broader long-term effort to provide safer, more organized, and better-equipped learning environments nationwide.