Baguio city: A total of 43,312 learners in private schools in the Cordillera region have received tuition subsidies from the government through the Education Service Contracting (ESC) program and the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP), the regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd) announced. Dr. Estela Cari±o, DepEd-Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) director, shared in a report that 88 schools benefited from the ESC grant for School Year (SY) 2025-2026.
According to Philippines News Agency, learners who received PHP223.71 million in subsidies for the current school year include 7,321 in Grade 7, 5,916 in Grade 8, 4,947 in Grade 9, and 5,464 in Grade 10. Additionally, 96 beneficiary schools with 9,858 learners in Grade 11 and 9,806 in Grade 12 received a total SHS VP subsidy of PHP3239.29 million. Both the SHS VP and the ESC programs fall under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program, which aims to assist parents of learners who cannot be accommodated in public schools.
About 1,269 teachers in 88 private schools in the region also received the Teacher Salary Subsidy (TSS) under the GASTPE. The number of beneficiary schools has increased since the program began in SY 2021-2022 with 80 schools. Dr. Cari±o noted the TSS program's consistent growth and its role in supporting the stability of the private education workforce.
Dr. Cari±o emphasized the program's importance in preventing over-enrolment in public schools and supporting private institutions, which face fewer resource gaps than their public counterparts. She highlighted the significant shortages in public schools, such as a lack of electricity, computer units, laptops, classrooms, libraries, clinics, water supply, Internet connection, science laboratories, and technical equipment.
The government subsidy has been crucial, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, as many private learning institutions faced financial difficulties. Dr. Cari±o expressed gratitude towards the private sector for their contributions to education and their continued partnership with the government in preparing the youth through education.
