Private Education Voucher Expansion (Peve) Act

Sinate TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE Office of the Freetary REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session ) 26 JAN 27 P2:07 SENATE RECEIVED BY S. No. 1710 Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PRIVATE BASIC EDUCATION VOUCHER PROGRAM CREATING THE BUREAU OF PRIVATE EDUCATION, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 2, 3, 4 (2), 4 (3), 5, 6, 7,12,14, AND 15 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8545, OR THE "EXPANDED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT" EXPLANATORY NOTE Education is the foundation of national progress. It empowers our youth, uplifts families, and builds a nation capable of competing in a globalized world. Under the 1987 Constitution, the State is mandated to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and ensure that such education is accessible to all. It likewise recognizes the vital partnership between public and private institutions in fulfilling this constitutional promise.? In pursuit of this mandate, the government established the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program. Piloted in the 1980s and later institutionalized under Republic Act (RA) No. 6728, as amended by Republic Act No. 8545 or the "Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act (E-GASTPE), the program aims to improve access and quality of education through shared responsibility between the public and private sectors. ' CONST., art. XIV, sec. 1. 2 CONST., art. XIV, sec. 4 (1).

Under E-GASTPE, the government provides financial assistance to students and teachers in private schools through key programs such as: (a) Educational Service Contracting (ESC) or financial assistance ranging from P8,500 to P13,000 to qualified elementary school graduates who wish to pursue Junior High School (JHS) in private schools; (b) Teacher's Salary Subsidy of P1,500 per month for licensed teachers in ESC-participating JHS; and (c) a Voucher Program for Senior High School (SHS) in the form of around P14,000 to P22,500 in tuition subsidies to qualified Grade 10 completers to assist them in enrolling in SHS in private non-Department of Education public schools. While these programs have expanded opportunities for thousands of learners, challenges remain. Public schools continue to face overcrowding, and the selection and allocation process under the E-GASTPE does not guarantee that assistance reaches the most disadvantaged students. To address this pressing concern, this bill removes outdated provisions and integrates more dynamic, flexible approaches to funding and regulation of private education through vouchers; expands the government assistance to private basic education to include learners from Kindergarten to Grade 6, decongests overcrowded classrooms in public basic education schools through prioritization of learners belonging to low income households through targeted-beneficiary system, and supports teachers by providing in-service training funds, scholarships for advanced studies, and financial support for institutional enhancements in accredited private basic education schools. In view hereof, the urgent passage of this bill is earnestly sought. MARK A. VILLAR pOC

Senate Office of the beatap TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 26 JAN 27 P2:07 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session RECEIVED BY SENATE S. No. 1710 Introduced by Senator MARK A. VILLAR AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE PRIVATE BASIC EDUCATION VOUCHER PROGRAM CREATING THE BUREAU OF PRIVATE EDUCATION, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 2, 3, 4 (2), 4 (3), 5, 6, 7,12,14, AND 15 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8545, OR THE "EXPANDED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT" Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Private Education Voucher

2 Expansion (PEVE) Act."

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to protect and

4 promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate 5 steps to make such education accessible to all. As part of its mandate, it is the State's policy to establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students, as determined by the guidelines, in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged. Likewise, the State recognizes the complementary roles of public and private education; institutions in the educational system and the invaluable contribution that the private schools have made and will make to education.

The State shall provide the mechanism to augment the resources and enhance the quality of private basic education, specifically promoting the complementary roles of public and private basic schools and thus recognize the government's priority of providing basic elementary and secondary education to all Filipino Students.

Sec. 3. Coverage. - This Act shall cover all private basic education institutions that

receive government assistance in the form of vouchers for qualified students, teachers and schools. This covers all the years of basic education. The programs of assistance for students under this Act shall be extended only to citizens of the Philippines.

Sec. 4. Criteria for Voucher Assistance - The programs for voucher assistance shall

be based on a set of criteria which include among others, the following: a) Criteria for Students. The voucher assistance will be provided to students from middle-income families, as determined by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA), who attended public schools identified by the Department of Education as congested or those living in areas congested public schools or without a nearby public school who wish to enroll on private basic education schools. Students who are most vulnerable and underprivileged shall receive a higher voucher amount as determined by the Basic Education Council (BEAC). b) Criteria for Schools. - The participating private basic education schools shall receive assistance based on Quality Assurance under Section 6 of this Act, and the geographic spread and size of student enrollment, as likewise determined by the BEAC, except schools with gaps in resources and facilities which are located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged and conflict-afected areas, or GIDCA schools. Private schools shall undergo the process of recognition and periodic assessment to be able to participate in the programs for voucher assistance.

Sec. 5. Empowering Student Choice. - The Department of Education (DepEd) shall

create a system that allows students and parents to select their preferred schools from a registry of participating recognized schools, subject to availability of slots. The registry of participating recognized private basic educational institutions shall include their school's information, such as location, number of available slots, bummer of students per classroom and level, extra-curricular programs, current tuition fees, and top- up required in cases where the voucher amount is less than the tuition fee among others.

Sec. 6. Quality Assurance.- The DepEd shall establish, operate and maintain a

9 system and mechanism for monitoring program outcome to ensure accountability of participating recognized private basic educational institutions. This covers the following areas: (a) Improved Student Performance - Appropriate performance indicators to determine the extent and outcome of the government assistance and subsidies (GAS) programs including youth literacy rates, national and international assessment scores. For this purpose, the National Achievement Tests and all national assessment examinations generally give by the DepEd shall be administered to all eligible students in all participating private basic education institutions; (b) Improved Student Outcomes - Tracer system to collect and evaluate the career and employment path of its graduates; (c) School Performance - School performance date indicating the mean, median and mode of the scores of the student in the national examinations, and such other measures of quality education delivery; and (d) Priority Subsidy for Underprivileged Student - Distribution of the GAS programs while ensuring that funding is equitably allocated following the order of priority groups.

Sec. 7. Other Forms of Assistance. - The following shall consist of assistance to

private basic education institutions and teachers participating in the voucher program under this Act: (a) In-service training fund for teachers in private basic education school;

(b) Scholarships for qualified private basic teachers enrolled in quality graduate programs; and (c) Participation in government-funded in-service training for basic education teachers. The DepEd may establish a program of assistance for the development of qualified recognized private basic education schools to cover the following areas of school operation: (a) Institutional Development; (b) Organizational Development; (c) Human Resource Development; (d) Curriculum and Instructional Development; (e) Research and School Improvement. Consistent with Section 10 of Republic Act No. 10533, or the "Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013", the DepEd, in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), may develop other forms of financial arrangements and engage the services of private basic education schools based on the complementary roles of public and private institutions in the educational system.

Sec. 8. Basic Education Voucher Program. - Under the basic education voucher

program, kindergarten, elementary, and secondary students enrolled in recognized private basic education schools charging school fees shall be provided by the government with vouchers in such amount as may be determined by the DepEd: Provided, that the amount shall disburse payment of the vouchers to the schools concerned within sixty (60) days from the submission of complete documents to the DepEd. The budget for the basic education voucher program shall be equitably allocated and distributed among all regions including the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) based on official date sources including, but not limited to, congestion data and open seats, giving priority to underprivileged students. Pursuant to Section 2(V), Article V of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the Bangsamoro Government shall exercise its authority over education for the areas under the BARMM and will directly implement the same program to be charged against their

1 block grant. The DepEd shall provide technical assistance in the implementation of the 2 GAS programs, when necessary. Schools participating in the basic education voucher program may increase tuition on the condition that seventy percent (70%) of the amount of the tuition increases shall go to the payment of salaries, wages, allowances, and other statutory benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel, except administrators who are principal stockholders of the school, and may be used to cover salary increase as provided for in the collective bargaining agreements existing or in force at the time when this Act is approved and 9 made effective. At least twenty percent (20%) of the tuition increases shall go to the improvement or modernization of buildings, equipment, libraries, laboratories, gymnasia and similar facilities and to the payment of other costs of operation. For this purpose, schools shall maintain a separate record of accounts for all assistance received from the government, any tuition increase, and the detailed disposition and use thereof, which record shall be made available for periodic inspection as may be determined by the DepEd.

Sec. 9. In - Service Training Fund or Inset Fund. - For the purpose of improving

the quality of teaching in private basic education, there is hereby established the DepEd an Inset Fund to provide for training programs for the upgrading of knowledge and teaching competencies in critical subject areas and for the modernization of teaching techniques and strategies, including training on the use of computers and of other multi- media educational technologies to assist instruction: Provided, that the amount of Inset Fund available to private basic education shall not exceed that available to public basic education as per capita basis: Provided, further. That the training programs shall be approved by the DepEd.

Sec. 10. Teachers' Salary Subsidy Fund. - A Teachers' Salary Subsidy Fund is

hereby established in the DepEd to grant government subsidy to teachers in recognized private basic education schools participating in the programs of assistance under in this Act: Provided, that the government shall provide the teachers with salary subsidy, to be determined by the DepEd: Provided, further. That the government shall disburse payment within sixty (60) days after the close of the school year upon submission of complete

1 documents, including but not limited to qualification and actual teaching service, to the 2 DepEd: Provided, furthermore. That the present allocation out of increases from tuition and other income shall be maintained: Provided, finally. That the teacher's salary subsidy received by the teacher shall form part of the exclusions from taxable gross income in 5 accordance with Section (B)(7)(e) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.

Sec. 11. Creation of the Bureau of Private Education. - The Bureau of Private

Education (BPE) under the DepEd shall be created to serve as the focal office for the 9 administration, supervision, and regulation of all matters relating to private basic education institutions, including government assistance and subsidies. It shall be headed by a Bureau Director. It shall have the following powers and functions: (a) Monitor and assess the implementation of the private basic education institutions of the policies, plans, and programs established by the DepEd as recommended by BPE; (b) Set and enforce minimum standards for programs and institutions of learning, subject to public hearing; (c) Ensure that the activities, efforts, and performance of private basic education institutions shall meet the high standards of excellence and accountability; (d) Administer and implement the policies and programs related to the assistance and subsidies given by the government to students, teachers, and schools in private education; (e) Establish and support partnerships with individual private education institutions to respond effectively to the pressing needs of students and teachers, and to provide learning solutions to underserved communities; (f) Monitor and ensure compliance of private basic education institutions to the promulgated rules and regulations of the DepEd in all matters concerning private schools, including tuition fee increases; and (g) Such other powers and functions as may be necessary for the effective and efficient implementation of this Act.

Sec. 12. Program Administration and Implementation. - The BEAC shall be

responsible for policy guidance and direction, monitoring and evaluation of new and existing programs while the Government Assistance and Subsidies Service (GASS) under the BPE shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration and implementation of the programs of assistance to private basic education. The BEAC shall be composed of the Secretary of the DepEd, as Chairperson, and the Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the 8 Secretary of the DBM, as members. The alternate representative of the Chairperson shall possess the rank of an Undersecretary while the alternate representatives of the members shall possess the rank of not less than an Assistant Secretary in order to secure a quorum. The BEAC shall meet, from time to time, as the need arises, to assess the effectivity of the programs under this Act and to propose to Congress other forms of assistance to participating students and schools. The GASS shall serve as the permanent secretariat for the implementation of the GAS programs under this Act. The DepEd may engage the services of a third party co-implementor of the GAS programs under this Act.

Sec. 13. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the initial implementation of

20 this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriation of the DepEd. Thereafter, such amount shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Sec. 14. Penalties. - In case of violation of this Act by a private school, the DepEd

may bar, after due process, such school from participating in or benefiting from the programs of this Act, and from other programs of the DepEd, without prejudice to administrative and criminal charges that may be filed against the school or its responsible officers under existing laws.

Sec. 15. Transitory Provision. - Subject to the availability of funds, the

implementation of the provisions stipulated in this Act for the kindergarten and 29 elementary levels shall gradually commence in school year 2026-2027, as may be determined by the DepEd.

Sec. 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) days from the

approval of this Act, the DepEd shall, in consultation with the NEDA, the DBM, and other concerned stakeholders from the national associations of private basic education institutions, promulgate the rules and regulations implementing the provisions of this 5 effect.

Sec. 17. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is held invalid or

unconstitutional, the other provisions not so declared shall remain in full force and

Sec. 18. Repealing Clause. - Sections 2, 3, 4(2), 4(3), 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, and 15 of

9 Republic Act No. 8545, or the "Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act" ", which amended Republic Act No. 6728, or the "Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act", are hereby repealed. All other laws, decrees, orders and rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

Sec. 19. Effectivity. - Notwithstanding the non-issuance of the implementing rules

and regulations, this Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,