Manila, Philippines — The state-run Philippine Science High School (PSHS), which is providing world-class science education to the country’s talented high school students, is hardly able to build modern facilities for students due to insufficient fund, its officials disclosed Monday as they launched a campaign to raise funds for the school.

Dr. Filma Brawner, PSHS executive director, said that her administration, with the support of the school’s alumni association, launched a four-year campaign to raise P50 million from donations to upgrade the science laboratory and education facilities.

She said funding is needed to repair the facilities which have been used since the school’s establishment in 1964.

“As the premier science high school in the country, the PSHS or Pisay, as it is popularly called, is expected to give a different quality of education for high school students who excel in science and mathematics. To push Pisay to a level much better than it is today, we need to upgrade our laboratories and facilities and ensure that the environment is conducive for learning,” Brawner said.

She noted that although the budget earmarked for PSHS for 2010 has reached some P400 million,” the amount would not suffice to modernize the facilities considering that it has branched out with 11 campuses nationwide.”

Jocelyn Sanchez-Mendoza, president of the PSHS National Alumni Association, said they would strongly support the cause. “We’d like to give payback to our Alma Mater in a big way when it makes this vital touchstone\ in 2014, so we’re doing this drive this early,” she said.

The four-year drive entitled 50@50 will culminate in the school’s jubilee celebration in 2014.

“This can only boost our pursuit of giving leading-edge science education by making available enablers, science learning opportunities and challenging environment, especially for our students,” Brawner said.