Philippines’ US$23 billion education budget is highest ever but will it make the grade?

The Philippines’ largest-ever education budget has been hailed by teachers and education advocates, but many have also warned that money alone cannot reverse years of weak learning outcomes and chronic teacher and classroom shortages. Last month, the Senate approved a 1.37 trillion peso (US$23 billion) allocation for education, the largest in the country’s history. It is equivalent to about 4 per cent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product, aligning for the first time with UN recommendations...