CONGRESS has allocated ₱41 billion this year to subsidize the tuition of indigent students attending private high schools in underserved areas, according to House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan.
“This allocation will enable an estimated 2.58 million students from low-income households, as well as those in overcrowded public schools, to pursue and complete their secondary education in private schools,” Libanan said.
He noted that the funding aims to keep more students in school amid economic pressures that push many to drop out in search of employment.
The ₱41-billion allocation is divided into:
- ₱12.3 billion for the Junior High School Educational Service Contracting Program (JHSESC)
- ₱26.5 billion for the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHSVP)
- ₱2.2 billion for the Joint Delivery Voucher Program (JDVP)
Data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education show significant senior high school attrition. In school year 2024–2025, of the 2,041,601 students enrolled in Grade 11, about 169,836—or 8.3 percent—did not advance to Grade 12.
“Keeping more students in school is not just an education policy; it is an economic safeguard for our families and our future workforce,” Libanan said. “When we support students through financial hardship, we give them a real chance to finish their studies and break the cycle of poverty.”
The JHSESC allows primarily public elementary school graduates to enroll in Grades 7 to 10 in private high schools contracted by the Department of Education.
The SHSVP provides tuition grants to qualified Grade 10 completers so they can enroll in Grades 11 and 12 in participating private schools.
Meanwhile, the JDVP supports senior high school students in the technical-vocational-livelihood track by allowing them to enroll in private institutions or non-DepEd schools offering specialized courses.
The DepEd and the Private Education Assistance Committee jointly manage the SHSVP and JHSESC, while DepEd solely administers the JDVP.
