Tuition subsidy for 300T students

CEBU, Philippines - More than 300,000 Grade 7 students in private schools can avail of the government's tuition subsidy program this coming school year, the Department of Education said.

The subsidy is P10,000 per student in private schools in the National Capital Region and P6,500 per student in schools outside NCR.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said yesterday DepEd has increased by 24 percent the number of slots for Grade 7 students availing of the tuition subsidy, from 250,896 last year to 310,709 this year.

The tuition subsidy program is under the Education Service Contracting scheme, which is under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education program.

The government subsidizes the tuition of students enrolled in private schools because public secondary schools cannot accommodate them anymore.

“The decision to accommodate more students under the ESC is part of our continuing thrust to democratize access to quality education across the country,” Luistro said.

The tuition subsidy program is jointly implemented by DepEd and the Fund for Assistance to Private Education.

DepEd and FAPE determined the distribution of Grade 7 slots under the ESC based on public school shortage in the regions, schools division and municipalities.

“We also put weight in the participating schools' compliance to performance-based standards,” Luistro added.

Based on DepEd Memo No. 65 series of 2013, the total number of Grade 7 slots comprises the actual number of grantees in the previous school year, which is fixed, plus additional slots in areas where there is serious overcrowding.

Another basis for the allocation of additional slots is the certification/accreditation ratings given to compliant schools as of Mar. 18, 2013.