MORE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS TO BENEFIT
FROM STATE ASSISTANCE - ANGARA

With a P3.940 billion appropriation to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE), more students will benefit from the State Scholarship Program, said Senator Edgardo J. Angara.

"This budget allocation will help in addressing two of the main problems in our education today: the increasing number of out-of-school youth and the deteriorating competency in basic sciences and mathematics," said Angara, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

The proposed obligation program of the Dept. of Education (DepEd) for FY 2010 amounts to P172.843 Billion where P152.978 Billion or 95% will go to operations to fund the requirements of elementary schools, high school and the district offices all over the country including lump sum appropriations where GASTPE falls.

The P3.9 Billion budget for GASTPE will cover mostly subsidies to private school students to accommodate children of lower income families. A brainchild of Angara, GASTPE has become DepEd's cost-effective alternative to building more classrooms and hiring more teachers.

The GASTPE law, among Angara's major education legislations, is intended to aid needy secondary students left by the public school system's limited facilities and driven to enroll in private institutions. An "education voucher" is given to each student which may be used to partly pay for the student's tuition in private schools.

"Educating our youth remains one of the biggest challenges of government. GASTPE ensures that underprivileged but equally deserving and talented students are given the opportunity to further their education and training," said Angara, former UP President and author of the Free High School Act and the laws creating CHED and TESDA.

Angara has earlier proposed that scholarships be given to students and teachers, and increase teachers' competency in mathematics and basic sciences. He particularly noted the need to hire teachers specializing in these wealth-creating fields in order to boost Filipino students' competitiveness.