Christian schools call for further expansion of GASTPE

The Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU) has urged the government to further expand the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) in order to cater to more students.

While acknowledging that the program has helped their member institutions to provide accessible and quality education to students for the past 35 years, ACSCU President and Silliman University President Dr. Betty Cernol-McCann said there is a need to ensure its continuation.

“As we look to the future, ACSCU envisions an expanded GASTPE that reaches even more students, particularly in rural and underserved areas,” she said.

“To realize this vision, we need the continued partnership of our government and a strengthened collaboration with private and public educational stakeholders. By working together, we can make GASTPE more responsive to the shifting educational landscape and ensure that the program continues to support not only students and teachers, but also the broader mission of Christian education in national development,” she added.

Republic Act No. 8545 or the Expanded GASTPE amended RA 6728 (GASTPE Act), which provides assistance to private school students at the high school, tertiary, and technical-vocational levels.

Under the program is the Education Service Contracting (ESC), where certified private junior high schools are contracted by the Department of Education (DepEd) to allocate slots for students, particularly incoming Grade 7 learners, to study there, instead of public schools.

DepEd said that the primary goal of ESC is to decongest overcrowded public schools, particularly those in the National Capital Region and Calabarzon.

READ: From public to private school: How incoming Grade 7 learners can become ESC grantees

According to Cernol-McCann, ACSCU’s member schools were able to help over 3,600 beneficiaries in the last school year through the GASTPE program.

“This level of support is not only a testament to the program's reach but also its impact. Many of our graduates, who were once GASTPE beneficiaries, have gone on to become leaders in their communities and industries,” she said.

"Their successes speak to the quality of education they received, and the opportunities made possible by GASTPE."

GMA News Online sought a comment from DepEd regarding the matter and will update this story once they respond. 

--VAL, GMA Integrated News