DepEd backs inclusion of high school students in CCT program

MANILA, Philippines - The government’s plan to include 10.2 million poor high school students as beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilya Pilipino Program (4Ps) has earned the support of the Department of Education (DepEd).

DepEd assistant secretary Jesus Mateo yesterday said the plan would allow more students to finish secondary education, and most likely inspire them to enroll in college or in technical-vocational institutions.

 Mateo said the government’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) program has improved school attendance, as shown in a study conducted by the World Bank (WB).

“The CCT has improved the participation rate among elementary students to 85 percent,” Mateo said.

The WB study titled “Philippines Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Impact Evaluation 2012” showed that the CCT has improved the nutritional status of poor Filipino children.

It also showed that households covered by the program spend 38 percent more on education and 34 percent more on medical expenses than their non-Pantawid counterparts.

Earlier, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said some 10.2 million high school students belonging to the more than four million “poorest of the poor” families would receive a monthly subsidy of up to P1,400.

Abad said President Aquino expanded the coverage of the CCT program after finding out that many call center employees are high school graduates.

He said the administration thinks that high school graduates would have better chances of getting employed than those who just completed elementary.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has identified the target students who would be helped to finish high school.

At present, the 4Ps provides cash assistance to families who keep their children in kinder and elementary school.