Senator Gatchalian proposes uniform voucher system for K–6 private school learners

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is pushing to expand government assistance to private schools through a uniform voucher system that will include learners from Kindergarten to Grade 6, as part of efforts to ease overcrowding in public schools and support underprivileged students.

Under the proposal, government assistance to private basic education will be standardized across all levels, with priority given to learners from low-income households and completers of the Alternative Learning System (ALS).

Gatchalian said support for private schools should directly benefit learners who need it most while helping decongest congested public classrooms.

“Tutulong tayo sa pribadong paaralan, pero ang benepisyo dapat diretso sa mga estudyanteng higit na nangangailangan,” said Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance.

(We will help private schools, but the benefits should go directly to the students who need it most.)

The senator filed Senate Bill 364, or the proposed Government Assistance to Private Basic Education Act, which seeks to address gaps in the implementation of existing assistance programs under the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE).

These include the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP) and the Educational Service Contracting (ESC) scheme, which provide subsidies to qualified learners enrolled in private schools.

According to Gatchalian, the measure aims to ensure that government spending on private education contributes to public school decongestion while improving oversight and targeting.

During the 19th Congress, Gatchalian led a Senate inquiry that flagged billions of pesos in alleged leakages in both the SHS-VP and the ESC. The probe also raised concerns over the reported inclusion of ghost beneficiaries in the SHS voucher program. —VBL, GMA Integrated News