QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 8545)
The title is the "Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act."
The policy is to promote and make quality education accessible to all Filipino citizens, recognizing the complementary roles of public and private educational institutions and providing mechanisms to improve quality in private education.
Elementary education is the first six (6) years of basic education, excluding pre-school and grade seven, attested by a certificate from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports. Secondary education is the next four (4) years, attested by a high school diploma from the same department.
Criteria include tuition fees charged by schools, socioeconomic needs especially in Social Reform Agenda provinces, school performance, academic qualifications, financial needs of students, teachers, schools, geographic spread, and size of student population.
Only Filipino citizens who are students and teachers in private education are eligible, with preference to students whose family income does not exceed seventy-two thousand pesos (P72,000).
Forms of assistance include tuition fee supplements, textbook assistance, expansion of the Educational Service Contracting scheme, voucher system scholarships, tuition fee supplements for college students, and education loan fund.
Assistance includes an in-service training fund for teachers in private high schools and a college faculty development fund for postsecondary vocational, technical, and higher education faculty.
The government provides vouchers to students enrolled in private high schools, reimbursing schools within 120 days after registration. Assistance slots are guaranteed based on prior year participation, with possible expansion by the State Assistance Council.
It is a fund in the DECS providing per student assistance for purchasing high school textbooks in private schools, not exceeding the per student amount given to public high school students, and granted only to beneficiaries of tuition fee supplements and ESC schemes.
It finances loans for matriculation, school fees, books, subsistence, and board and lodging, administered by CHED and TESDA. Loans are repayable after two years from employment with an interest rate not exceeding 6% per annum.
Students who fail the majority of their academic subjects for one school year cannot avail benefits unless failure is due to valid causes beyond their control.
A fund established in DECS to provide salary subsidies to private high school teachers, ensuring their total monthly pay does not exceed 80% of public school counterpart salaries, with subsidies capped by public school salary increases, and priority to married teachers supporting families.
The State Assistance Council, headed by the Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports, with co-chairpersons from CHED and TESDA, and members from NEDA, DBM, DOST, and representatives from private education sectors.
The DECS, TESDA, and CHED may bar institutions from participating in or benefiting from the programs and other Department programs, with possible administrative and criminal charges against schools and responsible officers.
The unconstitutional provision does not affect the validity and effectivity of the other provisions of the Act that are not affected.