SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian has flagged the ambiguity on whether the programs under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education or GASTPE effectively address issues related to public school congestion.

Gatchalian cited a Commission on Audit Performance Audit Report released in 2018 which revealed that the Department of Education had limited data on the GASTPE’s effects on the decongestion of public schools.

State auditors also flagged that the program has no clear performance indicators.

For Gatchalian, the program’s resources should be allocated to areas with the highest concentration of congested public schools.

“Parang lumalabas na hindi malinaw ang mga panuntunan,” said Gatchalian as he emphasized that in implementing the program, the concentration should be in congested areas.

However, COA findings show there is no clear policy as to where the Educational Service Contracting or ESC and the voucher program should be implemented.

The ESC is a partnership program under GASTPE where the government shoulders the tuition and other fees of excess learners in public schools who enroll in private schools contracted by the DepEd.

DepEd data and estimates from the senator’s office revealed that the regions with the highest share of congested junior public high schools are the National Capital Region at 72%, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao at 71%, and Region X at 50%.

Analysis by the Second Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM II of DepEd and Private Education Assistance Committee or PEAC data also revealed that there are 149 municipalities with very congested public junior high schools but very few ESC schools.

DepEd Assistant Secretary for Operations Francis Cesar Bringas assured, however, that revisions to the ESC guidelines are currently underway and that it will prioritize areas with heavily congested public schools.