Gov’t may move .8-M students to private schools by 2016

MANILA, Philippines - The government, under its senior high school voucher program, is expected to transfer around 800,000 students from highly populated public secondary schools to private schools, according to a private school official.

“The program allows students to choose the schools they want and decongest public high schools” once the government’s K to 12 program is fully implemented by school year 2016-17, Vicente Fabella said during a recent general assembly of the Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education (FUSE).

Fabella, president of Jose Rizal University and vice president of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities for the National Capital Region, made the statement during a panel discussion on financing the K to 12 program of the Department of Education (DepEd).

The additional two years in high school would serve as a specialization period for students in vocational skills, music, the arts or sports.

Under the government’s voucher system, Fabella said incoming senior high school students would be given financial assistance to enable them to enroll in private schools or non-DepEd public schools on either a full or partial tuition subsidy. The DepEd is planning to provide each student a subsidy of P12,000 to P20,000, according to Fabella.

The voucher system is covered by Republic Act 8545, a law that provides government assistance to students and teachers in private education.