House approves 2 education reform bills

The House of Representatives has approved two major bills on education—one making financial aid accessible to more private school students and another amending the K-to-12 basic education program.

House Bill No. 11214, which hurdled third and final reading with 202 affirmative votes and no negative votes on Tuesday, expands the coverage of the Private Basic Education Vouchers Assistance Act.

From being limited to senior high school students (Grades 7 to 12), the vouchers will now be available also to learners in lower levels—kindergarten, elementary and secondary.

“Expanding the program to cover these earlier educational stages would help address these concerns and ensure more comprehensive support for students in need,” said the bill’s main author, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo.

The Philippine Statistics Authority will help determine whether the applying student beneficiaries are from the “most vulnerable and underprivileged” households, according to the bill.

To qualify, they should also be coming from public schools classified as “congested” by the Department of Education.

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Pathway to college

Also approved on final reading Tuesday was House Bill No. 11213, which directs DepEd to improve the curriculum for Grade 11 and 12 students to better prepare them for college or vocational courses.

Grade 10 students will be given the option of undergoing the University Preparatory Pathway, where they would undergo advance placement examinations to assess their readiness for college. If they pass, they would be considered graduates of senior high school without having to go through Grades 11 and 12.

Those who will not meet the academic requirements for a four-year university program will still be eligible for enrollment in the vocational programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.