More subsidies for students pushed

KEEP THEM BUSY—AND SAFE A kindergarten teacher conducts a coloring activity for her class at Pinyahan Elementary School, Quezon City—NIÑO JESUS ORBETA/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A newly formed advocacy group on Wednesday is pushing for the expansion of the Department of Education’s voucher program for senior high school students to include those in kindergarten and elementary levels.

“The use of education vouchers as a financial assistance tool enables students/families to vote with their feet, get better and more suitable education for their children, and raise the productivity/efficiency of the national education system,” said Vicente Paqueo during a press briefing organized by Student First Coalition.

Paqueo, a distinguished fellow of the Philippine Institute for Developmental Studies, said there must be a “fair distribution” of subsidies between public and private school students.

Around P9.24 billion of allocation will be needed to expand the voucher program to kinder and elementary students, according to the group.

Based on their computation, the estimated per capita cost of student vouchers this year would amount to P20,500.

Victor Limlingan, chair of Cristina Research Foundation and convener of the coalition, underscored that expanding the reach of vouchers in private schools would let students choose the type of education they could receive, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

He lauded the Basic Education Report of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte that would push for the expansion of the voucher program.

“The approach of the government [on education challenges] is quite refreshing,” he said.

Most vulnerable

Hyacinth Bendaña, one of the advocates who graduated from private education with the help of scholarships, said she hopes an expanded version of the program would be passed by Congress and more grants would be offered to students.

The group urged Congress to repeal Republic Act No. 6728 and “strengthen the allocation mechanism to target the most vulnerable students.”

“The strengthening and expansion of vouchers are key to revitalizing the Philippine educational system,” they said.

Meanwhile, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro has filed a measure requiring the government to provide cash aid to all students in preschool, elementary, high school and college with the only condition that they attend at least 80 percent of their classes.

Luistro’s House Bill No. 6908 or the proposed “Universal Educational Assistance to Pre-elementary, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Students Act of 2023” ensures that “all students have the wherewithal to meet the necessary and incidental expenses in pursuing their education” regardless of their socioeconomic status.

In her proposal, preschoolers would be given a cash assistance of P1,000; elementary students, P2,000; junior high school students, P3,000; senior high school students, P4,000; and college students, P5,000.

“As a condition to receive the benefits of this bill, students are required to enroll and attend at least 80 percent of their mandated classes. Through this measure, economic and social progress will be attained by having an informed and educated citizenry,” Luistro said.