cdn mobile

Bill expanding aid to private school teachers, students passed on 2nd reading

By: Gabriel Pabico Lalu - Inquirer.net | January 20,2025 - 09:21 PM

Bill expanding aid to private school teachers, students passed on 2nd reading

Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — A bill pushing for expanded assistance to teachers and students in private schools by repealing sections of Republic Act No. 8545 has been approved by the House of Representatives on the second reading.

During Monday’s session, House Bill (HB) No. 11214, or the proposed Private Basic Education Vouchers Assistance Act, was approved via viva voce or voice voting.

This bill seeks to repeal sections of R.A. No. 8545, the law that amended R.A. No. 6728 or the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act (GASTPE).

READ: Private schools balk at looming ban on ‘no permit, no exam’ policy

Under the proposed measure, students enrolled in private schools can receive assistance through vouchers, with priority given to vulnerable and underprivileged families “or those belonging to the bottom first to fifth income deciles, as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority.”

The Department of Education (DepEd) will be tasked to determine the amount allocated in the vouchers to be given to deserving students.

READ: Private schools working to provide quality education amid the pandemic

“Under the basic education voucher program, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary students enrolled in recognized private basic education schools charging school fees shall be provided by the government with vouchers in such amount as may be determined by the DepEd,” the bill stated.

Tuition increase

Schools accredited by the Department of Education (DepEd) will be permitted to increase tuition fees, provided that 70 percent of the additional revenue is allocated to “salaries, wages, allowances, and other statutory benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel, excluding administrators who are principal stockholders of the school.”

READ: Private schools send out SOS to gov’t: Raise student subsidy

“At least twenty percent (20%) of the tuition increases shall go to the improvement or modernization of buildings, equipment, libraries, laboratories, gymnasia, and similar facilities and to the payment of other costs of operation,” the bill read.

“For this purpose, schools shall maintain a separate record of accounts for all assistance received from the government, any tuition increase, and the detailed disposition and use thereof, which record shall be made available for periodic inspection as may be determined by the DepEd,” it added.

Aside from these, the bill also proposes the creation of a Bureau of Private Education (BPE), which will “serve as the focal office for the administration, supervision, and regulation of all matters” involving private schools.

Private education

Some of the BPE’s functions would include the following:

  • Monitor and assess the implementation of the private basic education institutions of the policies, plans, and programs established by the DepEd.
  • Set and enforce minimum standards for programs and institutions of learning, subject to public hearing.
  • Ensure that the activities, efforts, and performance of private basic education institutions shall meet the high standards of excellence and accountability.
  • Administer and implement the policies and programs related to the assistance and subsidies given by the government to students, teachers, and schools in private education.
  • Establish and support partnerships with individual private education institutions to respond effectively to the pressing needs of students and teachers, and to provide learning solutions to underserved communities.
  • Monitor and ensure compliance of private basic education institutions to the promulgated rules and regulations of the DepEd in all matters concerning private schools, including tuition fee increases.

Substitute bill

In November 2023, the House committee on basic education approved the then-unnumbered substitute bill.  While the bill was approved, Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda reiterated the need for Section 13, which seeks to create the BPE under the DepEd jurisdiction.

Before the committee approved the bill, a group representing teachers and staffers from colleges and universities in the country warned that repealing the existing law may raise tuition fees without restraint.

According to the Council of Teachers, Staff of Colleges and Universities in the Philippines, the previous version of the bill repeals Section 5(2) of R.A. No. 6728, which dictates that seventy percent of the amount subsidized allotted for tuition fees or of the tuition fee increases shall go to the payment of salaries, wages, allowances and other benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Read Next

Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.

TAGS: assistance, private schools, students, Teachers
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.