QuestionsQuestions (Republic Act No. 8545)
RA 8545 amends RA 6728 to expand government assistance to students and teachers in private education by establishing mechanisms and funds—particularly to subsidize tuition, textbooks, loans, and teachers’ salaries/faculty development—covering private secondary, post-secondary vocational/technical, and higher education, and for enrolled citizens of the Philippines.
Elementary education is the first six (6) years of basic education excluding pre-school and grade seven; secondary education is the next four (4) years; and post-secondary education includes non-degree vocational/technical courses in postsecondary institutions or degree courses in higher educational institutions, each with completion attested by the relevant government agency (DECS or TESDA/CHED).
The programs are based on criteria including tuition fees charged, socioeconomic needs of each region (with priority to SRA provinces), overall school performance, academic qualifications and financial needs of students and teachers, and financial needs of schools, as well as geographic spread and size of student population.
Within a reasonable time as determined by the State Assistance Council, student grantees under PESFA must be enrolled in schools that have accredited programs or are applying for accreditation as recognized by the respective State Assistance Council.
Preference is given to students whose family income is not more than ₱72,000, or such amounts as may be determined by the respective councils.
They are extended only to students who are citizens of the Philippines.
PESFA refers to the Private Education Student Financial Assistance Program. Student assistance forms include tuition fee supplements (private high schools), High School Textbook Assistance Fund, expansion of the ESC scheme, the voucher system under PESFA, scholarship grants for valedictorians/salutatorians, tuition fee supplements for private colleges/universities in priority courses, and the Education Loan Fund.
They include an In-service Training Fund for teachers in private high schools and a College Faculty Development Fund for faculty members in private post-secondary vocational/technical institutions and higher education institutions.
For participating schools, the government provides vouchers as determined by the council and reimburses the vouchers from the schools concerned within 120 days from the close of the registration period.
The textbook assistance per student in private high schools is determined by the council but must not exceed what students in public high schools are provided on a per-student basis under the Secondary Education Development Program.
DECS continues contracts with private schools so government shoulders tuition and other fees of high school students enrolled under the program; it also contracts in communities without public high schools; subsidized amount must not exceed per-student cost in public high schools; DECS fully pays not later than 180 days from close of registration; amounts are allocated among regions proportionally to population and high-school age population with equalization starting school year 1998.
A student whose gross income, if any, and the combined annual gross income of the parents do not exceed ₱72,000.
Private post-secondary vocational/technical and higher institutions must provide full or half tuition waivers for 5% of entering freshmen, including valedictorians and salutatorians from both public and private high schools (subject to meeting admission tests). Valedictorians may receive government allowances in addition to waivers if they enroll in priority courses. If the graduating class exceeds 250, all salutatorians and first honorable mention graduates may also receive the valedictorians’ allowance (subject to the Act’s conditions/rules).
Through a voucher system for students in priority programs determined by TESDA and CHED, where government provides a voucher for the tuition fee supplement amount determined by the State Assistance Council, governed by the same conditions as the private high school voucher scheme.
RA 8545 creates a Students’ Loan Fund to finance educational loans for matriculation and other school fees and educational expenses (books, board, lodging). Tuition/fees are paid directly to schools. Repayment starts after the student finishes the course/profession and only after a 2-year period from acquisition of employment; interest accrues at not more than 6% per annum on the balance.
SSS must make available low-interest educational loans to its members and to private educational institutions for school buildings and/or improvement of plants and facilities.
The right to avail benefits does not apply if the student fails for one (1) school year in the majority of the academic subjects enrolled during the course, unless the failure is due to a valid cause beyond the student’s control.