By Lane Afable, News Editor
Public schools are expected to see improved facilities and equipment after the Department of Education (DepEd) optimized the use of the Special Education Fund (SEF).
This aims to ensure that local funds are directly used for building additional classrooms, improving equipment, and strengthening support for teachers and students.
During the DepEd Management Committee (ManCom) meeting on Monday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara emphasized the priority of properly utilizing the SEF to ensure that every peso of tax collected in municipalities and cities is felt directly inside the classroom.
“We are strictly implementing these new standards to fulfill President Bongbong Marcos’ promise to modernize our schools and support our teachers and students,” Angara said.
“By maximizing these local funds, we can ensure that no community is left behind in our goal of achieving quality education.”
The SEF is a fund sourced from an additional 1% tax on real property collected by local government units. It was created to give municipalities and cities the capacity to provide direct financial support to schools in their areas.
Angara stressed that the goal is to make tax collections visible and tangible through concrete improvements in schools.
This move is based on the implementation of Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025, signed by DepEd, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Department of Finance (DOF).
Under the new guidelines, the allowable uses of the SEF have been expanded beyond the construction and repair of school buildings and facilities, and the purchase of equipment, to include programs such as school-based feeding, early childhood care, and targeted academic recovery programs.
Local School Boards (LSBs) are also directed to move away from piecemeal spending and instead develop a six-year SEF Investment Program (SEFIP) for the long-term development of schools.
These new guidelines are anchored on DepEd’s five key priorities: teacher wellness, conducive learning environments, student welfare, effective teaching, and preparing learners for future employment.
To ensure the integrity of the fund, DepEd and the DOF, through its Bureau of Local Government Finance, will collaborate in regularly monitoring SEF plans and budgets.
Local treasurers and budget officers are required to submit quarterly and annual reports to the DOF. Meanwhile, DepEd schools division heads are obligated to report the amount of funding allocated to each school from the national budget.
Through these reforms, DepEd aims to make the SEF not just a budget item, but a key driver for better and more modern schools for Filipino youth.
