Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 8545)
The title of Republic Act No. 8545 is the 'Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act.'
The State declares a policy 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 defined as the first six (6) years of basic education, excluding pre-school and grade seven, with completion attested by a certificate issued or permitted by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS).
The criteria include tuition fees charged by schools, socioeconomic needs of regions prioritizing Social Reform Agenda provinces, overall school performance, academic qualifications and financial needs of students and teachers, financial needs of schools, geographic spread, and size of the student population.
Assistance consists of help to students, including tuition fee supplements, textbook assistance, expanded educational service contracting, scholarships, and loan funds; and to teachers, including in-service training funds and faculty development funds.
The Teachers' Salary Subsidy Fund provides government subsidies to teachers in private high schools participating in assistance programs, ensuring their total salary does not exceed eighty percent (80%) of their public school counterparts.'
Students lose the right to benefits if they fail for one school year in the majority of their academic subjects, unless the failure is due to a valid cause beyond their control.
The Students' Loan Fund is administered by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), or by the Student Loan Fund Authority under delegation by CHED.
The Department of Education, Culture and Sports, TESDA, and CHED may bar violating institutions from participating in or benefiting from the programs, and may pursue administrative and criminal charges against them.
The State Assistance Council provides policy guidance, monitors and evaluates programs, promulgates rules and regulations, and ensures quality education, with members from DECS, CHED, TESDA, NEDA, DBM, DOST, and representatives of teachers, students, parents, and school administrators.