Financial aid to basic education learners close to becoming a law

Metro Manila, Philippines –  Congress has ratified a bill that would extend government financial assistance for tuition and other fees to qualified kindergarten, elementary, and high school learners in private schools, clearing the way for enactment as the measure is transmitted to the Office of the President.

The bill would establish what will be called a Basic Education Voucher Program in private schools, factoring in overcrowding in public school classrooms.

It would prioritize assistance to learners in congested public schools as identified by the Department of Education (DepEd), including children in areas far from public schools.

“No child should have to study in overcrowded classrooms simply because there is no available space in the public school nearest to them,” Senator  Bam Aquino, co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), said in a statement.

“By expanding vouchers to include kindergarten and elementary learners, we are giving families more options much earlier, while making better use of existing capacity in private schools,” he added.

Under the bill, DepEd will publish a dashboard of participating private schools, their locations, available slots, tuition, and other fees that families would need to shoulder.

It will also come up with a map of school congestion nationwide to allocate financial aid and identify areas to build classrooms.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, EDCOM 2 co-chairperson, said the new policy will result in a program that is “more targeted, transparent, and responsive to where learners need it most.”

There will also be a Bureau of Private Education within DepEd to oversee assistance programs.

EDCOM 2 cited a DepEd classroom backlog of 147,347 as of September 2025. It said 1,889 schools were on double or triple shifts during the school year 2024–2025, indicating congestion.

The proposed voucher expansion also aims to complement classroom construction. EDCOM 2 research found that available private school seats could accommodate some learners in the most congested regions.

This is a news release from EDCOM 2