SEN. Francis Pangilinan has sought a private basic education voucher program (PBEVP) that will extend financial aid to private school learners from low- and middle-income households.
The senator pushed for the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 1841 or the proposed Private Education Voucher Expansion (PEVE) Act.
Pangilinan said the bill aims to institutionalize the PBEVP and consolidate “existing assistance mechanisms into a unified voucher-based framework.”
SB 1841 seeks to expand assistance coverage from kindergarten to senior high school for learners enrolled in private institutions, because of overcrowding in public schools.
The voucher assistance should be provided to students from middle-income families based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s determination.
Beneficiaries may also include those who attended public schools identified by the Department of Education as congested.
Students living in areas with congested public schools or without a nearby public school, and who wish to enroll in private basic education schools, are also covered under the bill.
“Students who are most vulnerable and underprivileged shall receive a higher voucher amount, as determined by the Basic Education Assistance Council (BEAC),” SB 1841 read.
