Private Basic Education Vouchers Act
Filed on February 23, 2026, and referred to the Committees on Basic Education, Ways and Means, and Finance; the bill was consolidated and substituted by SBN-1981 on March 16, 2026.
The bill addresses the need for improved access to quality education in the Philippines, particularly in the context of overcrowded public schools and struggling private institutions.
The bill responds to ongoing issues of overcrowding in public schools and the financial struggles of private institutions, making it a timely intervention in the education sector.
Private Basic Education Vouchers Act
The Private Basic Education Vouchers Act aims to establish a voucher program for private basic education, repealing certain provisions of the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act. It seeks to provide financial assistance to students and improve the quality of private education in the Philippines.
Compared with current law:
No voucher program for private basic education.
Establishes a voucher program to assist students in private basic education.
Limited support for private schools under existing laws.
Provides a structured framework for financial assistance to private schools.
The purpose of the Private Basic Education Vouchers Act is to establish a voucher program that provides financial assistance to students attending private basic education institutions, particularly those from low-income families. This aims to improve access to quality education and alleviate overcrowding in public schools.
Source · full text✦ Dashed tags are AI-suggested nuance; solid tags follow the committee taxonomy.
Stalled: the bill has not progressed since it was substituted by SBN-1981 on March 16, 2026, and has not been acted upon since then.
No floor deliberations yet — this measure has not reached plenary. Its committee-stage actions appear under Legislative history above.
• Sennin Office of the see mary TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 26 FEB 23 P5:20 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session RECEIVED BY: SENATE S.B. No. 1895 Introduced by Senator Raffy T. Tulfo AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE PRIVATE BASIC EDUCATION VOUCHER PROGRAM, REPEALING SECTIONS 2, 3, 4(2), 4(3), 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, AND 15 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8545, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "EXPANDED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT", WHICH AMENDED REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6728, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE Ensuring that all learners have fair access to quality basic education remains a significant issue in the Philippines. Despite ongoing reforms and increased public investment, many public schools still deal with persistent structural and resource-related constraints. Overcrowded classrooms remain common, with class sizes often exceeding recommended standards. In addition, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to learning materials, and shortages of teaching personnel further strain the system. These conditions significantly affect the overall quality of instruction, reduce opportunities for individualized attention, and ultimately impede student learning outcomes. According to the Department of Education, nearly one in three public schools are operating above their recommended capacity. This overcrowding puts significant strain on teachers and school administrators, making it harder to manage classrooms effectively and provide student-centered instruction. Consequently, students may not receive the support and attention needed to reach their full academic potential. Addressing these
systemic issues is crucial to ensuring that all Filipino learners have access to a safe, supportive, and high-quality learning environment. Meanwhile, numerous private schools, especially smaller and community-based institutions, are experiencing drops in enrollment and financial challenges. These schools play a crucial role in the education system, particularly in areas where public schools are overcrowded or scarce. Without proper support, many struggle to continue operations or enhance the quality of education they offer. Republic Act No. 6728, as amended by Republic Act No. 8545, also known as the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E- GASTPE) Act, established a foundation for government support of private basic education. However, its impact has been limited due to narrow coverage, outdated systems, and insufficient support for private schools and their educators. The proposed Private Education Voucher Expansion (PEVE) Act seeks to modernize and strengthen this support by repealing outdated provisions of RA 8545 and creating a more inclusive, responsive, and accountable framework for private basic education. In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. RAFFY T. TULEO
Senate Office of the rer, stang TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE 26 FEB 23 P5:20 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session RECEIVED BY: S.B. No. S0 1895 Introduced by Senator Raffy T. Tulfo AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE PRIVATE BASIC EDUCATION VOUCHER PROGRAM, REPEALING SECTIONS 2, 3, 4(2), 4(3), 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, AND 15 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8545, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "EXPANDED GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN PRIVATE EDUCATION ACT", WHICH AMENDED REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6728, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 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 Basic Education
2 Vouchers Act."
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the State to protect and
promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and, to this end, it shall take appropriate 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 that shall be available to deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged. Likewise, the State recognizes the complementary roles of public and private educational institutions in the educational system and the invaluable contribution that private schools have made and will make to education.
1 The State shall provide the mechanisms to augment the resources and enhance the 2 quality of private basic education, specifically promoting the complementary roles of public and private schoois and thus recognizing 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
6 provide government assistance in the form of vouchers to students, teachers, and schools and all the years of basic education. The programs of assistance for students under this 8 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 for students shall be based on tuition and other fees charged by the schools, and the socio-economic needs of each student. Priority shall be given to those students from the most vulnerable and underprivileged until those who are from middle-income families, as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), who attended public schools identified by the Department of Education as congested or those living in areas with congested public schools or without nearby public schools who wish to enroll in private basic education schools. Students who are the most vulnerable and underprivileged shall receive a higher voucher amount as determined by the Basic Education Assistance Council (BEAC). The prioritization of students who can qualify for the voucher assistance will be subject to the following tiered priority system: (0) First Priority (1) Kindergarten to Grade 3 learners from low-income households up until middle-income households enrolled in public schools officially identified by the DepEd as congested. (2) Grade 4 to Grade 12 learners from low-income households up until middle-income households who have been enrolled, for a minimum of two school years, in public schools officially identified by the DepEd as congested.
(ii) Second Priority (1) Kindergarten to Grade 3 learners from low-income households up until middle-income households enrolled, regardless of household income, in public schools officially identified by the DepEd as congested. (2) Kindergarten to Grade 12 learners from low-income households up until middle-income households who are not from congested schools but require financial assistance to access or remain in private education (IIi) Third Priority - All other basic education learners not falling under the above priority tiers may apply and be granted vouchers, subject to the availability of funds after the higher-priority tiers have been served. (b) Criteria for Schools. - The participating private basic education schools shall receive assistance based on the overall performance of the schoois based on the rankings of its students in national and international assessments, and the geographic spread and size of student enrollment, as likewise determined by the BEAC. Private schools shall undergo the process of accreditation and periodic assessment to be able to participate in the programs for voucher assistance.
Sec. 5. Empowering Student Choice. - The DepEd shall create a system that allows
students and parents to select their preferred schools from a registry of participating recognized schools, subject to the availability of slots or vouchers. The registry of participating recognized private basic educational institutions shall include their schools' information, such as location, number of available slots or vouchers, number 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
system and mechanism for monitoring program outcomes 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, among others. For this purpose, the National Achievement Tests or its equivalent shall 5 be administered to all students in private basic education institutions. (b) Improved Student Outcomes - Tracer system to collect and evaluate the performance of students; (c) School Performance - School performance data, and other measures of quality education delivery; and (d) Priority Subsidy for Underprivileged Students - 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: The forms of assistance granted to teachers in the participating recognized private basic education schools include: (a) In-service training fund for teachers in private basic education schools; and (b) Scholarships for qualified private basic education 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 Planning;
(f) Facilities and School Improvement; Consistent with Sec. 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 principles of public-private complementarity.
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 shail be provided by the government with a voucher in such amount as may be determined by the DepEd: provided, that the amount shall not be less than the amount currently provided by the DepEd; and provided, further, that the government shall reimburse the vouchers from the schools concerned within sixty (60) days from the submission of complete documents, as required by the BEAC, to the DepEd. The voucher amounts shall be determined by DepEd to ensure that these are sufficient to facilitate the transfer of students to decongest public schools. The voucher amounts are also subject to review every three (3) years to ensure they are updated in line with inflation and prevailing tuition and other school fees. 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 data sources including, but not limited to, 22 congestion data and open seats, giving priority to underprivileged up to middle-income students. Pursuant to Section 2(V), Article V of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), 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 block grant. The DepEd would provide technical assistance in the implementation of the GAS Program, 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 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 made effective. 5 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, 9 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. The amounts received by participating schools through the voucher program or any forms of assistance under this Act shall not be considered as part of its income or revenue for purposes of any national and local taxes or any imposition on income.
Sec. 9. Consultation. - In any proposed increase in the rate of tuition, there shall
be appropriate consultations conducted by the school administration with the duly organized parents and teachers' associations. For this purpose, audited financial statements shall be made available during consultations.
Sec. 10. In-Service Training Fund or Inset Fund. - For the purpose of improving
the quality of teaching in private basic education, there is hereby established in the DepEd an Inset Fund to provide 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 Inset Fund shall be available only to private basic education teachers qualified to teach under Republic Act No. 7836, or the "Philippine. Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994", as amended by Republic Act No. 10533; provided, further, 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, finally, that the training programs shall be approved by the DepEd.
Sec. 11. 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 private basic education teachers qualified to receive subsidy under this Act shall be duly qualified to teach under Republic Act No. 7836, as amended by Republic Act No. 10533: Provided further, That the government shall provide them with 5 salary subsidy, to be determined by the DepEd, which shall be disbursed within sixty (60) days after the close of the school year upon submission of proof of qualification and actual teaching service directly to the concerned participating private basic education schools; Provided, further, that the present allocation out of increases from tuition and other 9 income shall be maintained.
Sec. 12. 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 administration, supervision, and regulation of all matters relating to private basic 13 education institutions, including government assistance and subsidies. It shall be headed 14 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; 19 (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 23 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; 2 (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, 4 including tuition fee increases; (g) Jointly formulate and implement a unified investment plan that indicates the complementary targets for voucher slots, for classroom construction and repair, for public-private partnerships, and other efforts to address congestion, with all relevant 8 DepEd units, submitting the same to Congress for budgetary deliberations; 9 (h) Regularly conduct or commission studies to assess the efficacy and efficiency of the voucher program, to inform refinements in policies and programs, including targeting, 11 subsidy amounts, and learner supports; 12 (i) Propose and implement developmental programs and grants to support the upgrading 13 of quality of private schools, particularly small and medium-sized institutions; (i) Formulate and implement a typology or a system of classification of basic education private schools based on quantitative and qualitative standards, including, but not limited to, student enrollment size, specific clientele served (e.g. isolated and far-flung communities, indigenous peoples, mission schools, learners with special needs, gifted learners, etc.), as well as learner outcomes; (k) Devise a corresponding system of budgetary or fiscal allocation for assistance and development based on the typology of the schools under Section 12(j), and in consideration of types of learners served; and (i) Such other powers and functions as may be necessary for the effective and efficient implementation of this Act.
Sec. 13. 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 Services (GASS) under the BPE shall be responsible for the day-to-day administration and program implementation on the programs of assistance to private basic education. The BEAC shall be composed of the Secretary of the DepEd, as Chairperson, and 7 the Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and Secretary 8 of the DBM as members. The alternate representative of the Chairperson shall possess the rank of an 10 Undersecretary while the alternate representatives of the members shall possess the rank of not less than an Assistant Secretary for government offices 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 government assistance and subsidies program under this Act. The DepEd may engage the services of any third party co-implementor of the government assistance and subsidies program under this Act.
Sec. 14. Appropriations. - The amount needed for the initial implementation of
this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the DepEd. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Sec. 15. 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 1 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. 16. Transitory Provision. - Subject to the availability of funds, the implementation of the provisions stipulated in this Act for the kindergarten and
elementary levels shall gradually commence in school year 2026-2027, as may be determined by the DepEd.
Sec. 17. 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 Act.
Sec. 18. 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 effect.
Sec. 19. Repealing Clause. - Sections 2, 3, 4(2), 4(3), 5, 6, 7, 12, 14, and 15 of
Republic Act No. 8545, amending Republic Act No. 6728, pertaining to basic education are hereby repealed. Republic Act No. 6728, as amended by Republic Act No. 8545, is 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. 20. 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,
Reproduced from the Senate document. The official PDF is the authoritative version.