THE Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (Ceap) is urging the national government to revisit the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (Gastpe) program to address challenges facing private institutions, particularly the migration of teachers and students from private to public schools.
Fr. Wilmer S. Tria, Ceap vice president and school director of Claret School of Quezon City, said that private schools in the Philippines, like in many other countries, face financial challenges that impact their members, leading to increased demand for public education—often strained by limited resources.
“To address these challenges, we continue to advocate for expanding Gastpe to cover kindergarten and elementary levels, increasing subsidies and vouchers, and an extension of the Teacher Salary Subsidy,” said Tria during the 2024 National Convention Press Conference in Davao City on November 12.
He added that these improvements could foster stronger partnerships between public and private education for the benefit of all Filipino students. He underscored that government accountability, transparency, and effective financial management are essential to the survival of private schools in a competitive, unstable market.
Gastpe, managed by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Private Education Assistance Committee (Peac), aims to make quality education accessible. It includes several programs such as Educational Service Contracting (ESC), Teachers' Salary Subsidy (TSS), and the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP).
Tria also mentioned that Ceap fully supports the quality assurance system of PEAC through monitoring, certification, and other initiatives.
Tria added that Ceap fully supports the quality assurance system of Peac through monitoring, certification, and other initiatives, ensuring the authenticity of its member schools and the accuracy of data related to student grantees and voucher recipients. However, he raised concerns over the government's disbursement and allocation processes. DEF