Bicam OKs bill expanding education voucher program

MANILA, Philippines — The bicameral conference committee adopted the final version of the proposed Basic Education Voucher Program Act, which seeks to expand the subsidies given to kindergarten to senior high school students in qualified private schools.

Under the bill, eligible students are allowed to enroll in private institutions to help decongest overcrowded public schools.

“The proposed voucher program is designed not only as a financing mechanism but as a targeted tool to ease pressure on overcrowded public schools while improving access to better-resourced private institutions and strategically allocating vouchers to areas with the greatest need,” the Second Congressional Commission on Education said.