DepEd to subsidize fees of senior high school students

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The Department of Education (DepEd), through its voucher program, has assured incoming Senior High School students that it will subsidize their tuition fees.

DepEd will be subsidizing tuition fees of students who have completed Grade 10 from public and private schools who wish to enroll in a: 1) private high school, (2) private university or college, (3) state or local university or college, or (4) technical-vocational school which offers SHS starting next school year, according to Armin Luistro, Secretary of DepEd, in an official statement.

Full voucher value will be granted to “all grade 10 completers of public JHS, including State Universities and Colleges (SUC)/Local Universities and Colleges (LUC) JHS,” wrote Luistro in DepEd Order 46, s. 2015.

Students who are under the Grade 10 Education Service Contracting (ESC) program who were enrolled in ESC participating institutions will be awarded 80 percent of the voucher value while non-ESC students who came from private JHS may apply for vouchers subject to a socio-economic status assessment. Once they pass the assessment, they too will receive 80 percent of the voucher value.

“The SHS Voucher Program will only cover two years regardless of the number of years it takes for the student to finish SHS. Vouchers are only valid if redeemed within the first semester of the school year immediately after the completion of JHS,” said Luistro.

DepEd has also released guidelines on disqualification of Voucher Program Beneficiaries.

Students who leave school in the middle of his/her term; fails to re-enroll the following school year (unless the reason for failure to enroll is due to health issues and that the period of medical leave does not exceed one school year); was held back in school; enrolls in another SHS provider while the school year is ongoing; and/or transfers to a DepEd SHS provider.

SHS program early registration for school year 2016-2017 is ongoing.