Roco vows assistance to private education

Education Secretary Raul Roco reminded private school operators yesterday not to make education a business even as he expressed willingness to help them survive the competition with public schools.

"Some private schools should remember that education is not a business …We must give corresponding services," said Roco in reaction to a statement of the Federation of Associations of Private School Administrators (FAPSA) that he was spoiling public school teachers to the detriment of private education.

Roco said he was happy to know that he was pampering government teachers who "have been neglected for a long time."

"Over the years they suffered. We have no budget to increase their salary and they have to contend with shortages in public schools. I am glad we have at least found ways to increase their take-home pay," he added.

The economic packages that Roco had afforded government teachers include two-month tax exemption and a P5-billion fund from the Government Service Insurance System that will be use to buy out their loans from private lending firms.

FAPSA president Eleazar Kasilag said earlier that Roco might hasten the demise of private schools because of the incentives that he was giving the teachers in public schools.

Kasilag has estimated that five percent of private school teachers have moved to public schools this schoolyear.

He explained that if they could only increase their tuition fees they might be able to delay this exodus. "But we cannot adjust our tuition because we’ll lose our students. We cannot really compete with public schools which are being subsidized by the government," Kasilag said.

Roco expressed willingness to extend economic programs to private school owners and teachers but this must be done on a "school-to-school basis."

"Private schools control their (financial) data, unlike in public schools which we know the details. Each has different needs so we have to deal with them one by one," he stressed. — Sheila Crisostomo