Installation and institutionalization of a participatory budgetary system for Don Bosco Technical College

• Main Author: Santiago, Macario, Jr.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1997
• Subjects: School budgets; Technical institutes; Universities and colleges > Administration; School management and organization; Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/2988
• Institution: De La Salle University

This research is about the installation and institutionalization of a participatory budgetary system for Don Bosco Technical College. The installation system consists of two steps: self-analysis and training of people. The self-analysis covers the evaluation of three aspects: financial strengths and weaknesses, financial management style, and current budgetary system. The training of people consists of two steps: going through the budgeting procedures using the previous school year's budget, and undergoing a mock budgetary process to prepare the budget for the next school year.The institutionalization of the system consists mainly of the development of a budgetary manual. It includes the objectives, the scope, the first draft, the difficulties encountered in validating the draft, the corrective measures taken in the revision of the draft, comments given from professional review, the points considered in the final editing, and the manual is published. Some of the sentiments of the members of the House Council regarding the whole process are made apt conclusion to this study: 1) it is empowering because of the participative process 2) it did not only made them knowledgeable of the financial status of the house but it also made them sharers in the responsibility of financial management 3) it is a preparation for the members for financial transparency towards their lay collaborators which is indispensable in promoting corresponsibility with the laity 4) it gave a sense of justice to the students who have the right to receive what they pay for and 5) it gave them the initiative to prioritize needs and not to depend only on the priority proposed by the Economer. The budgeting process has brought the school administrators to a common standpoint. While the academic administrators used to insist on quality education without giving due importance to costs and the financial administrators used to insist on the cost to the detriment of quality education, the whole process led them to consider both in making decisions.The budgeting process also brought the school administrators to a wider financial perspective: they now see their own respective departments in relation with the institution as a whole. The budgeting process give the school administrators a greater sense of corresponsibility. Corresponsibility went from a participation in the academic management to a participation in the financial management as well.