TINGOG Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre on Thursday urged the Senate to prioritize the approval of the House-approved bill principally filed by former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, giving students from poor and middle-income families more access to quality education in private schools.
“I appeal to our counterparts in the Senate to give priority to this measure so that more of our deserving children from financially-distressed families can enroll in private schools through a government-funded voucher program,” Acidre said.
“Education will empower them to get themselves and their families out of poverty, and to help others and their communities,” he said.
House Bill (HB) No. 4744 has been approved by the House of Representatives on third and last reading last October. It was promptly sent to the Senate for its own consideration and approval.
The bill also seeks the creation of the Bureau of Private Education under the Department of Education (DepEd) to handle all programs, matters and issues relating to basic education.
It is among several priority bills of the Marcos administration under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) authored by Romualdez.
Most of these priority measures were passed by the House during Romualdez’s time as Speaker.
HB 4744 counts as part of the Leyte congressman’s long list of achievements as a House member.
Co-authors of the measure include former Senior Deputy Speaker and now Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” A. Marcos and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, who chairs the House Committee on Basic Education, which endorsed the measure.
The bill expands financial aid to poor but deserving students under Republic Act (RA) No. 6728, or Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act.
It seeks to establish a private education voucher program, which shall cover all years of basic education, from kindergarten to high school.
The measure provides that voucher assistance may be given to students belonging to “middle-income families and below, as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).”
These students must have attended public schools identified by the DepEd as “congested, or those living in areas with congested schools or without a nearby public school who wish to enroll in private basic education schools.”
Students from “most vulnerable” and “underprivileged” families may receive a higher amount of aid. These two terms are to be defined by the DepEd in its implementing rules and regulations.
The DepEd shall also choose participating schools based on criteria set in the proposed law, the bill proposes.
Students and parents may be given the privilege of selecting their preferred schools from a list the Department shall provide, subject to availability of slots.
The DepEd is mandated to reimburse participating schools within 60 days from submission of complete supporting documents.
The bill likewise provides assistance to teachers in participating schools such as training, scholarships, research grants, and professional development programs.
It gives DepEd the option to propose a government-funded salary subsidy for teachers in participating schools.
