Government to provide P3.9-billion subsidy for high school students

MANILA, Philippines – The government will subsidize about 700,000 students in private high schools next year to the tune of P3.9 billion, Cebu Rep. Eduardo Gullas said yesterday.

Gullas, an educator, said the amount is included in the proposed P1.541-trillion national budget.

It is part of the P172.8-billion outlay for the Department of Education, he said.

He said the money would be for the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program.

“This (funding) implies that some 54 percent of all students enrolled in private schools next year stand to benefit from the program,” he added.

According to Gullas, GASTPE has two components — the voucher system and service contracting with private high schools.

In the voucher system, needy students get a P7,000 voucher that can be used to partly pay for tuition.

In service contracting, students receive a subsidy of P5,000.

Other than the willingness of the student’s parents to pay for the rest of the tuition, GASTPE does not have any requirement, Gullas said.

“In a way, through the program, the government is incidentally helping to prop up private high schools that continue to wobble from declining enrollment due to the rising cost of education,” he said.

He also said the DepEd budget includes:

• P2.1 billion for new teaching positions in public schools;

• P2.3 billion to construct new classrooms and rehabilitate existing ones;

• P500 million to reward schools that have successfully raised the quality of instruction and learning. – Jess Diaz, (The Philippine Star)