Government urged to expand coverage of biggest scholarship program

MANILA, Philippines — The government needs to expand the coverage of its biggest scholarship program to help thin out overcrowded public schools, a group of Christian denomination-run private schools said over the weekend.

The Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU) said the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) needs to cover more underprivileged students, which could encourage more parents to move their children from public to private schools.

“We are partners in progress. With its critical role in sustaining private Christian education in the Philippines, the GASTPE aligns with our mission to serve with compassion and integrity,” ACSCU president Betty Cernol-McCann said.

The GASTPE program currently covers junior high school and senior high school. It was intended to provide financial assistance to students and teachers, improve access to quality education and decongest public schools.

“In the last school year, member schools collectively served over 3,600 beneficiaries under the GASTPE program,” Cernol-McCann said.

“This level of support is a testament not only to the program’s reach, but also its impact. Many of our graduates, who were once GASTPE beneficiaries, have gone on to become leaders in their communities and industries. Their successes speak to the quality of education they received, and the opportunities made possible by GASTPE,” she added.

GASTPE initiatives include Education Service Contracting (ESC), Teachers’ Salary Subsidy, Senior High School Voucher Program and In-Service Training.

The ESC is deemed a cost-effective alternative to public school expansion, where decongestion is achieved through service contracts with private schools for the latter to accommodate the overflow of students from public schools and from communities with no public schools.

“The (GASTPE) program has also provided significant support to our teachers and educational staff. Financial resources have facilitated training and development programs, ensuring that our educators can continually adapt to evolving educational needs,” Cernol-McCann said.

This assistance was most pronounced during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the GASTPE funding helped schools transition to blended and distance learning models.

The ACSCU has 118 member-schools across the country, which have served 12.45 million student-grantees since 1989.