ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro has spearheaded the Makabayan bloc in filing House Resolution 1533 to probe the latest issuances of the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education over the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers inPrivate Education (GASTPE) program considering the right to access to quality education.
Meanwhile, students dislocated due to the discontinuance of seniorhigh school (SHS) programs in state universities and colleges (SUCs) can shift to private education institutions and avail of tuition subsidy from the national government, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, said on Sunday.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers also appealed to President Marcos to review the composition and competence of the appointed commissioners of the CHED amid the dilemma of about 17,000 senior high students affected by the end of the SHS subsidy program in SUCs.
In filing HR 1533, Castro said: “This issue highlights the failure of the government during the transition period that it even failed to simply call for a thorough consultation with all the stakeholders, but now is unilaterally removing the subsidies for these students.”
“So, there is a strong need to investigate the latest issuances of the DepEd and CHED related to the GASTPE program to determine if the implementation aligns with the constitutional mandate of providing quality education for all, regardless of their economic status,” she said.
The quality of education of Grade 11 and 12 students at state universities and local colleges is adversely affected by the stoppage of the implementation of the SHS program beginning next year, Castro lamented.
“Let us not implement the (CHED) memorandum while we are looking for the right solution,” she added.