DepEd to continue senior high voucher program despite 2019 budget delay
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) assured Wednesday it would continue its Senior High School voucher program (SHS-VP) despite delays in the passage of the 2019 national budget.
“DepEd will continue to engage the services of private educational institutions and non-DepEd public schools offering SHS through the voucher program under the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE),” DepEd said in a statement.
“Pending the issuance of the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the national budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 is deemed reenacted. The reenacted budget shall remain in force until such time that the GAA is passed into law by Congress,” it added.
The SHS-VP is a scheme that aims to provide financial assistance to qualified Grade 10 completers in pursuing their desired SHS education in private schools, state universities and colleges (SUCs), and local universities and colleges (LUCs) that offer SHS.
DepEd also explained that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released a letter on the release of funds for the first quarter of 2019 “stating that in the absence of the 2019 GAA, the budgetary support to cover the operations of all national agencies is equivalent to the appropriations based on the FY 2018 GAA or on the FY 2019 National Expenditure Program (NEP)—whichever is lower.”
“Under the FY 2018 GAA, the total appropriation for the SHS VP in private and non-DepEd schools is P14.4 billion, while the 2019 NEP is P20.3 billion. As a result, the program is short of funds equivalent to P5.9 billion,” DepEd said.
Because of this, DepEd has yet to open the application of the SHS-VP for school year 2019-2020.
Nonetheless, Grade 10 completers in school year 2018-2019 who fall under the following categories are automatically eligible and do not need to apply for vouchers:
1) all Grade 10 completers in public schools operated by DepEd;
2) all Grade 10 completers in SUCs and LUCs; and
3) all Grade 10 completers in private schools who are ESC grantees
DepEd said “these automatic voucher recipients shall be accommodated in the program upon enrolment in any SHS VP-participating school.” /kga
