Question & AnswerQ&A (DECS ORDER NO. 8, S. 2001)
The primary objective of Republic Act No. 7323 is to help poor but deserving students pursue their education by encouraging their employment during summer and/or Christmas vacations through incentives granted to employers and providing education vouchers for students.
Qualified individuals are students and out-of-school youth aged 15 to 25, who are enrolled during the school year with at least an average passing grade, or dropouts intending to continue their studies, and whose parents have a combined annual net income not exceeding Php 36,000.
Students must be between 15 and 25 years old to be eligible for the program.
60% of the salary is paid directly by the employer in cash, and 40% is paid by the government in the form of education vouchers.
Education vouchers are used to pay for tuition fees, books, and other school fees in any educational institution offering secondary, tertiary, vocational, or technological education.
Applicants must submit: a bio-data with a 1x1 photo; three copies of birth or baptismal certificates; three xerox copies of certification from the School Registrar on last enrollment and passing average; and three copies of certified true copy of parents' latest Income Tax Return or official certification of income below Php 36,000, with an affidavit of non-filing or Barangay Certification.
Conviction results in imprisonment from six months to one year, a fine of at least Php 10,000, and possible prosecution for other offenses under the Revised Penal Code or other laws. In corporations or partnerships, the criminal liability extends to managing partners, general managers, or chief executive officers.
The DECS Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs (CSCA), headed by the Executive Director and Kabataan 2000 National Action Officer, coordinates, oversees, and monitors the implementation of the program nationally, with regional Kabataan 2000 action officers managing local implementation.
The Secretary of Labor and Employment is designated as the Project Director for the SPES.
Education vouchers are generally non-transferable except in cases where the student dies or stops duties for justifiable causes. In such cases, they can be transferred to siblings or heirs or paid directly to the payee.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) implements the program in coordination with the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) and the Department of Finance (DOF).
It refers to students whose combined parental income, including their own income if any, does not exceed Php 36,000 per annum, and who meet academic and age qualifications.
It was approved on March 30, 1992, and took effect after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two national newspapers of general circulation.