DepEd Antique grants educ'l vouchers to more than 2,000 high school students
SAN JOSE, Antique – The Department of Education Division of Antique reported that more than 2,000 students in private high schools have availed of education assistance in the form of vouchers in the amount of P4,000 per student.
Schools Division Superintendent Corazon P. Brown in an interview said that the educational assistance has helped a lot of high schools students enrolled in private schools lessen the burden of paying costly tuition fees. From 2006 to the present 1,768 students were given financial subsidies through Education Service Contracting and 172 under Educational Vouchers from 13 private high schools. Three more schools has to submit the number of students who have availed of the assistance she said.
As promised in 2007 State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, DepEd has granted 563,906 students with financial subsidies nationwide and created 53,026 teaching positions from 2002-2007.
Meanwhile DepEd Antique has hired 65 new teachers and 11 elementary school principals for 2002-2007, said Asst. Schools Division Superintendent Victor de Gracia.
De Gracia also reported the total enrollment in public elementary schools for School year 2008-2009, as follows Grades 1-6 - 76,665 pupils, 9455 for pre-school education and 35,923 enrolled in public secondary schools. The figures can still increase since only 332 schools have submitted their enrollment data out of 471.
For Private elementary and secondary schools, DepEd reported a total enrollment of 1,741 and 7,010 respectively for school year 2007-2008.
Results of National Achievement Test in elementary and secondary education showed an increasing trend from 54.95% for SY 2006-2007 to 61.03% for SY 2007-2008 in Elementary while secondary level has 43% to 51.52% on the same period. Antique ranked No. 1 in Secondary Level for SY 2006-2007 while Elementary showed a good standing from 7th place in 2006-2007 to 4th place in 2007-2008 out of 17 divisions in Region 6.
Jo Lapasaran, Coordinator, for private schools on educational assistance noted that DepEd in planning to increase the subsidy from P4,000.00 to P6,000.00 to further support students in private schools. This government undertaking is in line with its battcry "Isulong ang Karunungan, Labanan ang Kahirapan". (PS Mabaquiao/PIA)