The Department of Education (DepEd) has announced a significant expansion of its financial assistance programs, expecting to support over 2.4 million students in private institutions for the upcoming 2026–2027 school year.
This initiative is designed to broaden access to education for underprivileged youth and alleviate the persistent problem of classroom congestion in the public school system.
Under the unified Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) program, the subsidies are divided into two primary categories:
- Educational Service Contracting (ESC): Set to benefit approximately 990,000 junior high school students.
- Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP): Projected to cover about 1.47 million senior high school learners.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara highlighted that these subsidies serve as a critical safety net for families facing financial hardship.
“Hindi dapat tumigil ang pag-aaral ng isang bata dahil lang sa kakulangan sa pera. Ang tulong ng pamahalaan ay dapat makarating sa mga pamilyang pinaka nangangailangan. These subsidies are meant to keep children in school,” he stated.
Unified Framework and Enhanced Teacher Support
The department recently introduced DepEd Order No. 11, s. 2026, which consolidates the ESC, SHS-VP, and the Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS) into a single operational framework.
This streamlining aims to improve the efficiency of fund distribution and program monitoring.
Key updates in the revised policy include:
- Targeted Prioritization: Financial aid will be prioritized for students from low-income households, Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities, and those residing in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
- Increased Teacher Subsidy: The annual Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS) for qualified private school educators has been raised from ₱18,000 to ₱24,000 to help narrow the compensation gap with public school counterparts.
- Stricter Monitoring: New screening measures have been implemented to ensure that the students most at risk of dropping out are the ones receiving immediate support.
The new guidelines are scheduled for full implementation starting next school year, reinforcing the government’s commitment to ensuring that no Filipino learner is left behind due to economic constraints.