Private schools seek government subsidy

Associations of private schools are urging presidential candidates to increase the subsidy given by the government to privately owned higher education institutions (HEIs).

In a press conference in Quezon City yesterday, officials of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) underscored the need for the government to help private schools to improve the quality of education in the country.

“The private schools need support from the government,” COCOPEA president Narciso Erquiza Jr. said.

“We deserve the same kind of assistance that they give to the public sector,” Erquiza said.

Government support, according to the council, may include financial assistance to raise the salary of teachers and have more scholarships for students and funding for continuing education of instructors who wish to pursue graduate studies.

Erquiza said this is among the proposals included in the roadmap for higher education drafted by the council.

Rene Salvador San Andres, executive director of COCOPEA, clarified that the financial support from the government will not benefit HEIs that already operate on profit.

Instead, he noted that there are small private schools operating in far-flung areas that are in dire need of support to improve their operations.

San Andres said there are private schools that could not match the proposed increase in the salary of public school teachers because they do not have enough funds to do so.

“It’s an issue of social inequality,” he said. “We – the bigger schools – are coming forward to help the smaller ones.”

Officials said private schools have to resort to tuition increases to address the growing financial need to sustain operations. –Janvic Mateo, Philstar