The Government of
President Pedro Castillo plans to increase the Education Ministry's budget to an amount equivalent to 6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a goal long pursued by previous administrations,
Education Minister Rosendo Serna announced on Wednesday.
"We are going to undertake an enormous effort in 2023. We (the sector's budget) must be close to 6% (of GDP); thus, we must reach that 6% level in the two following years," the minister expressed.
"We are in a critical condition because of the war between Russia and Ukraine, but despite this, the President (Pedro Castillo) will keep his word, and he will make that announcement," Serna added.
The Cabinet member clarified that this increase in the education budget is an issue which has been discussed since 2002, adding that the Government is willing to reach this goal.
"Since 2002, the National Agreement (forum) has been proposing an increase to 6% of Gross Domestic Product for the education sector; thus, (an increase of) 0.25% was proposed every year to reach the average by the year 2006 (a goal that unfortunately has not been met yet)," he explained.
The high-ranking official indicated that it would have been important to implement this increase as soon as
President Castillo took office in 2021. However, the new administration began to work with a budget approved the previous year.
"Yesterday, I was talking with the President, and there is a whole schedule that we will approve and which will take into account just that: reaching 6% of GDP, but also adopting a remuneration policy that rewards each teacher," he expressed.
The
minister stressed that teaching is the only public sector career that is periodically evaluated on its performance, with positions that are accessed via competition, which does not happen in other sectors. Therefore, a mechanism must be found to recognize that value.
"The remuneration must grow. There are projections that we are considering so as to increase the remuneration of teachers and reach at least that 6%," Serna indicated.
"That is not only entrenched in the National Agreement, but also in the General Education Law, approved in 2003, which comprises an article that details 6% of GDP as the education budget," he noted.
(END) KGR/LIT/MVB
Published: 7/6/2022