SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian is considering the expansion of the Senior High School-Voucher Program to help struggling private schools recover from the impact of the Covid19 pandemic.

“We can expand the voucher program. Sa voucher program kasi, dadalhin ng estudyante yung voucher sa school at pwedeng maging source ng revenue ng eskwelahan. Even though private schools are non-profit, we can treat them as corporations, and they should have access to capital. Ang problema kasi naubos ang capital nila because of the pandemic,” the chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education said.

In the SHS-VP, qualified learners from participating private or non-DepEd schools receive subsidies in the form of vouchers.

The 2023 National Expenditure Program allocated P39.3 billion for the implementation of the SHS-VP with an estimated voucher value of P17,793 per learner.

Gatchalian said there is a need to develop a clearer vision, as well as a dynamic and responsive framework, where the government and private education institutions can further operationalize the principle of complementarity enshrined in the Constitution.

The senator earlier filed Senate Resolution No. 12 that seeks a Senate inquiry on how to strengthen the complementary roles of public and private educational institutions in the Philippine educational system.

The Department of Education reported that 425 schools have closed since 2020 and 800 suspended their operations during the height of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Institutions said that around 900,000 private school students have transferred to public schools since the pandemic began.

The group added that around 60% of private schools saw a decline in enrollment, which resulted in increased congestion in public schools.

To expand the coverage of financial assistance to students, including learners at the elementary level, the Department of Education is seeking amendments to the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education.

The COCOPEA, on the other hand, proposed a higher amount for vouchers given to students.

The private schools’ group also proposed extending vouchers to elementary students.