Gatchalian: Shortfall in SHS financial assistance program budget affects beneficiaries

Senator Win Gatchalian is seeking to fill the shortfall in the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP) to prevent the mounting of government debt to private schools. SHS VP is a financial assistance program in the form of vouchers that subsidizes qualified SHS learners from participating private or non-DepEd public senior high schools.

"The voucher program is a good mechanism to revive ailing private schools because a lot of the private schools have been devastated by the pandemic. A shortfall in the SHS financial assistance program will also mean a lesser number of beneficiaries can avail of the program," said Gatchalian.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture noted that while DepEd has proposed a P25 billion budget for the SHS-VP in 2022, the National Expenditure Program (NEP) has only allotted P16.5 billion, leaving a shortfall of almost P9 billion. Under the Senate committee report on the proposed 2022 national budget, P5 billion in unprogrammed appropriations was added to the P16.5 billion budget for SHS-VP.

The SHS-VP was allotted P25.2 billion in the 2021 national budget, P11.5 billion of which were under unprogrammed appropriations. Out of the P11.5 billion under unprogrammed appropriations, P3.7 billion was funded to date.

Gatchalian flagged that if the budget of the SHS-VP budget would remain insufficient, the DepEd's debt to private schools will continue to increase. The government currently owes P35 billion to private schools under the SHS-VP.

"I am just concerned with the Senior High School Voucher Program next year because if we cannot fund the P9 billion and the amount being approved under the unprogrammed funds, the debt or what we owe to the private schools will always increase every year and this will never end," said Gatchalian.

"If we continue to have a shortfall, this will increase over time and we will never be able to catch up at one point," he added.

To address the shortfall in the SHS-VP's funding requirements, Gatchalian proposed to realign part of the P15 billion allotted to Flexible Learning Options (FLOs), the bulk of which will go mainly towards the printing of self-learning modules (SLMs). Gatchalian explained that he is eyeing less dependence on self-learning modules in anticipation of the resumption of face-to-face classes.

# # #

Sapat na pondo sa SHS financial assistance program isinusulong ni Gatchalian

Isinusulong ni Senador Win Gatchalian na mapunan ang kakulangan sa pondo ng Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS-VP) upang maiwasan ang paglobo ng utang ng pamahalaan sa mga pribadong paaralan.

Ang SHS-VP ay isang programang nagbibigay ng tulong pinansyal sa mga kwalipikadong mag-aaral mula sa mga pribadong paaralan o non-DepEd na pampublikong senior high schools. Ipinamamahagi ang naturang tulong pinansyal sa pamamagitan ng vouchers.

"Magandang paraan ang voucher program upang matulungan ang mga pribadong paaralan lalo na't marami sa kanila ang pinadapa ng pandemya. Ang kakulangan sa pondo ng SHS VP ay magdudulot ng mas mababang bilang ng benepisyaryo para sa programa," ani Gatchalian.

Bagama't nagpanukala ang Department of Education (DepEd) ng dalawampu't limang bilyong pisong pondo para sa SHS-VP para sa taong 2022, 16.5 bilyong piso lamang o mas mababa ng halos siyam na bilyong piso ang inilaan ng National Expenditure Program (NEP) sa naturang programa. Sa ilalim ng committee report ng Senado sa panukalang 2022 budget, limang bilyong piso ang dinagdag sa SHS VP sa ilalim ng unprogrammed appropriations.

Mahigit dalawampu't limang bilyong piso (25.2) ang inilaan sa SHS-VP ngayong 2021, 11.5 bilyong piso dito ay nasa ilalim ng unprogrammed appropriations kung saan 3.7 bilyong piso pa lamang ang pinondohan.

Nagbabala si Gatchalian na kung patuloy na magkakaroon ng kakulangan sa pondo ng SHS-VP, patuloy ding lolobo ang utang ng DepEd sa mga pribadong paaralan. Sa kasalukuyan, may utang na tatlumpu't limang bilyong piso ang DepEd sa mga pribadong paaralan sa ilalim ng SHS-VP.

"Nababahala ako sa Senior High School Voucher Program sa susunod na taon dahil kung hindi natin mapopondohan ang kulang na siyam na bilyong piso at ang unprogrammed funds, patuloy na tataas kada taon ang utang natin sa mga pribadong paaralan at hindi ito matatapos," ani Gatchalian.

"Kung patuloy tayong magkakaroon ng kakulangan, madadagdagan nang madadagdagan ang utang natin at darating ang panahong hindi na tayo makakahabol," dagdag na pahayag ng senador.

Upang matugunan ang kakulangan sa SHS-VP, ipinanukala ni Gatchalian na ilaan ang bahagi ng labing-limang bilyong pisong nakalaan sa Flexible Learning Options (FLOs). Samantala, inaasahan ni Gatchalian na makakabalik na sa face-to-face classes ang maraming mga paaralan sa susunod na taon at hindi na kakailanganin ang maraming modules.

# # #