LCP with The Asia Foundation (TAF), and Australian Aid (AusAid) recently held Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Financing Alternative Sources to Finance Education: Investment Program for Senior High School (SHS) Students on May 08, 2014 at Cocoon Boutique Hotel, Quezon City. Thirty three (33) cities were represented with participants coming from the local school boards.
The activity aimed to validate information and solicit insights on the LCP's discussion paper in looking for alternative sources to financing local education. The LCP paper examines the prospects of cities tapping alternative sources to finance their education other than their special education fund (SEF). The Special Education Fund is one percent (1\\%) of the assessed value of local real properties of local government.
The SEF is used for the operation and maintenance of public schools, construction and repair of school buildings among others and is managed by the Local School Board (LSB). The multi-stakeholder Local School Board is composed of mostly local authorities, president of parents-teachers associations who decide on the SEF utilization among others.
The LCP paper suggests that most of cities still have low SEF and need national government subsidy to finance its local education. With the implementation of K-12, local governments are developing transition plans and ensuring that challenges in classroom shortage, lack of teachers for K-12, and developing program curriculum are addressed.
Most participants reiterate the need to expand the utilization of SEF. LCP Secretariat is developing long-term policy advocacy strategies to expand SEF guidelines and coordinating with national government to conduct further dialogue.