THE FEDERATION of Associations of Private Schools Administrators was saddened by the move of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations to get a share in the Internet allowance of public school teachers exclusively for its own members and not for the entire private school education sector.

“This was aired by COCOPEA spokesperson Atty. Joseph Noel Estrada during the fifth regular meeting of the Committee on Basic Education last Tuesday that delineated the Internet Allowance for the public school teachers, which I partially attended but left the meeting. Sorry for small private schools after hearing it,” FAPSA chairman Eleazardo Kasilag said.

“While FAPSA just submitted a position paper to the office of Congressman Roman Romulo, Committee chair on Basic Education in the house, appealing for review of policies on private school regulations, especially on subsidies since schools’ closure has become enormous this pandemic,” Kasilag added.

Kasilag claimed the voucher and subsidy emanating from the government is coursed thru the FAPE (Fund for Assistance to Private Education) but never enjoyed by small private schools.

“Then, this advocacy of COCOPEA that really startled me to walk out and consigned that FAPSA member schools are left to fend for ourselves, ‘Unity in Multiplicity’ as claimed by COCOPEA was simply not felt during that talk,” he said.

“FAPSA appealed for fairness to help schools outside of FAPE to avoid further closure. Quality or excellence of education is not the primordial judgmental criterion here,” Kasilag said. “After all, it is the needy and the helpless that need assistance not only the rich and well-stable ones. It is the money of Juan de la Cruz being spent here by the billions.”

A pinch of relief came, when FAPSA learned the stand of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio who declared salary benchmark should be the salary of private school teachers as there is a wide disparity between the salaries of teachers in private schools.

This she admitted during the House Appropriations committee deliberations on the proposed P710-billion Department of Education budget.

“Personally, I do not know the implication of this statement of Secretary Duterte but for our group which has gotten used to survive on the crumbs from the table, any statement that recognizes our dire situation is gratifying than what we just heard from our confreres from COCOPEA,” Kasilag said.