Catholic schools flag delayed ESC, SHS voucher release

A considerable number of private schools have yet to receive their Educational Service Contracting (ESC) subsidies and their students’ Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP), according to Catholic school groups.

“We humbly urge the concerned agencies to facilitate the prompt processing and release of the pending subsidies and voucher program assistance,” the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) and the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Catholic Education (ECCE) said in a joint statement on Friday.

The groups noted that among the schools affected are “small and financially vulnerable institutions”, which consider the government subsidies and voucher program assistance essential in sustaining their operations amid rising electricity prices.

“Many of these schools serve low-income communities and continue to rely heavily on government assistance programs in order to keep education accessible, maintain personnel, and meet operational obligations,” the groups said in a statement on Friday.

“The continued delay has placed serious strain on school finances at a time when institutions are already preparing for the next academic year,” they added.

The pending subsidies also impact the timely payment of salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff, the settlement of utilities and contractual obligations, and the procurement of instructional materials.

“The financial assistance of the government is a strong lifeline that enables them to continue participating in the shared national responsibility of delivering education,” the groups said.

Data from the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) showed that over 3,600 institutions nationwide are ESC-participating schools.

Meanwhile, over 4,500 schools are included in the SHS-VP Alphalist.

The Department of Education (DepEd) earlier this month announced the expansion of private school subsidies under the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) program.

The expansion is set to benefit over 2.4 million financially challenged learners enrolled in private schools. Of which, around 990,000 junior high school students will be covered under the ESC program, while 1.47 million SHS students will benefit from the SHS-VP.— Almira Louise S. Martinez