CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan explained the DAP amounting to P4.28 billion from the Aquino administration, saying that the allocation for the state universities and colleges (SUCs) "will boost their capacity for quality higher education.”
Licuanan, in an official statement, said that the multi-billion DAP investment intends to enhance the capacity of SUCs to modernize and upgrade infrastructure and facilities; fund research, development and extension (RDE) activities to benefit their communities; strengthen the capability of SUC executives; and provide access to poor students. "It has provided the much needed boost to the SUCs’ 2011 and 2012 budgets,” she added. As of September, Licuanan said that a total of P3.96 billion out of the P4.03 billion had been released to the SUCs with the University of the Philippines (UP) and Mindanao State University (MSU) Systems receiving more than half of the investment at P1.383 and P1.039 billion, respectively. For RDE activities, Licuanan said that the P560 million DAP allotment had been disbursed to 22 SUCs for the conduct of 128 projects through the help of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. "The approved RDE are expected to produce at least 20 research and development technologies to be disseminated in 500 barangays and to benefit more than 100,000 households in the next three years,” she added. Short-term training courses to 800 participants including SUCs’ presidents, vice presidents, and academic/administrative officials, were also conducted with the assistance of the Development Academy of the Philippines, to enhance their competencies in strategic planning, among others.
Educ-celeration? The link between the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and education
