GASTPE stands for Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education. It is a group of DepEd programs that help learners study in private schools and support teachers who work there. This guide explains each program: Education Service Contracting (ESC), the Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS), and the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP). It covers who qualifies, how much the subsidies are, and the rules that keep or end a grant.
The amounts, dates, and deadlines below were set for school year (SY) 2018-2019 and the SHS VP application period that ended in 2018. Check with your school, your DepEd Division or Regional office, or the official DepEd website for the rules that apply this school year.
On this page 5 sections
What is GASTPE?
GASTPE was created by Republic Act (RA) 6728, the GASTPE Act. Three laws shaped it:
- RA 6728 (GASTPE Act): created the program.
- RA 8545 (Expanded GASTPE or E-GASTPE Act): amended and expanded it.
- RA 10533 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013): expanded it further to cover senior high school.
GASTPE programs provided by DepEd
- Education Service Contracting (ESC)
- Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS)
- Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP)
- In-Service Training (INSET)
- Research
What are FAPE and PEAC?
DepEd owns and regulates the GASTPE programs. It runs them through PEAC.
- FAPE (Fund for Assistance to Private Education): a perpetual trust fund that pays for programs that assist private education. It was created by Executive Order (EO) 156, s. 1968.
- PEAC (Private Education Assistance Committee): created by the same EO. It is the trustee of FAPE.
DepEd has contracted PEAC to run the GASTPE programs, including ESC, TSS, and SHS VP. PEAC has a National Secretariat (PEAC NS) and a Regional Secretariat (PEAC RS) in each region.
Education Service Contracting (ESC)
ESC gives tuition subsidies to qualified elementary graduates who want to attend Junior High School (JHS), Grades 7 to 10, in a private school.
How ESC works
- Private JHSs apply and are certified by DepEd, through PEAC, to join the program.
- Each ESC-participating school gets a set number of slots. Each slot comes with a subsidy called an ESC grant.
- The learners who receive the grants are called ESC grantees.
- To become a grantee, a learner must enroll in Grade 7 at an ESC-participating school. A School Committee at each school selects the Grade 7 grantees.
- No new ESC grants are given at higher grade levels.
Who is eligible
- An elementary graduate of a DepEd public school or a DepEd-recognized private school
- An incoming Grade 7 student
- Has not received ESC in previous school years
- A Filipino citizen
Requirements
- ESC Application Form
- Two identical recent 2×2 ID photos
- Certified true copy of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) birth certificate, for learners with no learner profile in the Learner Information System (LIS)
- Grade 6 report card
- Proof of income of parents or guardian
How grantees are selected
- Selection depends on the limited slots given to the school.
- Elementary graduates of DepEd public schools are automatic ESC grantees.
- For graduates of DepEd-recognized private schools, the School Committee profiles and assesses each learner based on the documents submitted.
ESC grant amounts (SY 2018-2019)
The amount a grantee gets in Grade 7 is the same amount received until Grade 10.
| Grade level | Schools in NCR | Schools in highly urbanized cities | Schools in all other locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | Php13,000 | Php11,000 | Php9,000 |
| Grade 8 | Php13,000 | Php11,000 | Php9,000 |
| Grade 9 | Php11,000 | Php8,500 | Php8,500 |
| Grade 10 | Php11,000 | Php8,500 | Php8,500 |
If the total school fees the school declares in the ESC Information Management System are lower than the grant, the school is paid only the total school fees.
Terms of the ESC grant
The grant starts in Grade 7 and covers only the four years of JHS. It continues each year as long as the grantee is promoted and enrolls in an ESC-participating JHS. No maintaining grades are required.
The grant ends if the grantee:
- Drops out in the middle of the school year
- Does not re-enroll the next school year
- Is not promoted to the next grade level
- Transfers to a JHS that does not take part in ESC
- Is suspended for more than two weeks, dismissed, or expelled by the school for disciplinary reasons
Dropping out for a valid reason
Grantees who drop out because of prolonged illness, an accident, force majeure, or the death of a parent or guardian may be reinstated. They must send supporting documents to the PEAC NS, for example a medical certificate from a licensed doctor in case of illness.
Transfers and other questions
- Transferring to another ESC school: allowed. If the two schools have different subsidy amounts, the receiving school is paid the lower amount. The receiving school reports the transfer in the ESC Information Management System.
- Forced mid-year transfers: if a school closes or is removed from the program, the transfer is treated as a special case and handled individually. Participating schools that close must inform PEAC promptly.
- Giving your slot to someone else: not allowed. The ESC grant is not legal tender and cannot be transferred to another student.
- List of ESC schools: available on the PEAC website and in the DepEd 2018 GAA special provisions page.
Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS)
TSS is a yearly salary subsidy for licensed teachers in ESC-participating JHSs. These teachers are called TSS recipients.
Who qualifies
A teacher in an ESC-participating JHS who:
- Has a valid PRC license, or passes the Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET) by October of the current school year
- Is a full-time employee of the JHS
- Teaches a subject in the DepEd JHS curriculum for at least 180 minutes a week
How much is the TSS?
- Php1,500 for each month of service to the JHS
- A full Php18,000 if the teacher stays employed until the end of the school year
How ESC and TSS funds are paid
DepEd releases ESC and TSS funds directly to the ESC-participating school, not to learners or teachers. The TSS the school passes on to teachers must match the services they actually rendered. TSS funds are only for qualified recipients and cannot be shared with other teachers or school staff.
Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP)
The SHS VP gives tuition subsidies to qualified Grade 10 completers from public and private schools so they can enroll in Senior High School (Grades 11 and 12) in private schools or non-DepEd public schools, such as state and local universities and colleges (SUCs and LUCs).
Who could receive a voucher (SY 2018-2019 rules)
Grade 10 completers in SY 2017-2018 could become Qualified Voucher Recipients (QVRs). They fell into five categories.
Automatically qualified:
- Category A: Grade 10 completers in public JHSs
- Category B: Grade 10 completers in SUCs and LUCs
- Category C: Grade 10 completers in private schools who are ESC grantees
Voucher applicants (VAs):
- Category D: Grade 10 completers in private schools who are not ESC grantees
- Category E: learners who passed the Alternative Learning System (ALS) Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Test or the Philippine Educational Placement Test (PEPT) and were certified for Grade 11 in SY 2018-2019, with certification received no later than May 31, 2018
Applicants who are approved are called Qualified Voucher Applicants (QVAs), and they become QVRs.
Not eligible:
- Learners who graduated from high school in March 2015 or earlier
- Learners who completed Grade 10 before or after SY 2017-2018
- Incoming Grade 12 students who were not in the voucher program in Grade 11
- Non-Filipino students
Application deadlines for SY 2018-2019 (now closed)
| Applicant | How to apply | Deadline | Results released |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private non-ESC completers, 1st batch | Manual | January 31, 2018 | April 2, 2018 |
| Private non-ESC completers, 1st batch | Online | February 28, 2018 | April 2, 2018 |
| Private non-ESC completers, 2nd batch | Online only | April 27, 2018 | May 25, 2018 |
| ALS A&E and PEPT passers | Manual only | June 15, 2018 | June 30, 2018 |
Results were posted on the Online Voucher Application Portal (OVAP). Successful applicants could download a QVA Certificate (formerly called a QVR Certificate).
Manual application for ALS A&E and PEPT passers
- Fill out the Voucher Application Form (VAF-1), Annex 1B of DO 60, s. 2017, downloadable from the DepEd website.
- Put these in a long brown envelope:
- Completed VAF-1
- Recent 2×2 colored ID photo
- Proof of financial means of the parents, guardian, or person helping send the learner to school
- Certificate of Financial Assistance received, issued by the school, if applicable
- Certificate of Eligibility to enroll in Grade 11 (same as the Certificate of Rating)
- Mail or submit the package to: SHS Voucher Program Applications, PEAC National Secretariat, 5th Floor Salamin Building, 197 Salcedo Street, Makati City 1229.
How applications were evaluated
- Eligibility: Did the learner complete Grade 10 the previous school year? Was the learner from a private school and not an ESC grantee? Had the learner received a voucher before?
- Completeness: Was the form fully filled out and submitted on time?
- Financial information: household size, Income Tax Return, Affidavit of Unemployment, and other documents were weighed using the criteria in RA 8545.
Late applications were not accepted. Under DO 60, s. 2017, each applicant is responsible for making sure the application is complete, correct, and received on or before the deadline, even if a school offered to apply for them. For that cycle, applicants had from December 1, 2017 to February 28, 2018, plus a reopening from April 3 to 27, 2018.
How to use the voucher
A QVR redeems the voucher by enrolling in a private SHS or a non-DepEd public SHS (SUC or LUC) and meeting its admission requirements. On enrollment, the learner tells the school about their QVR status and presents proof. A QVR who redeems the voucher becomes a Voucher Program Beneficiary (VPB).
| QVR category | Document to present | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 10 completer from a public school (DepEd JHS or SUC/LUC JHS) | Report card with a Learner Reference Number | Junior high school |
| Grade 10 completer who was an ESC grantee in a private JHS | ESC Certificate | Junior high school or PEAC NS |
| Private non-ESC Grade 10 completer whose application was approved | QVR Certificate | PEAC NS through OVAP |
Participating SHSs are listed on the DepEd 2018 GAA special provisions page. If you are unsure or have no internet access, ask the school directly or contact your DepEd Division or Regional office.
Vouchers had to be redeemed in the first semester of SY 2018-2019, or they became invalid. A voucher covers two years of SHS, Grades 11 and 12. If a learner takes longer, it still covers only the first two years.
Voucher amounts (SY 2018-2019)
| Location of non-DepEd SHS | QVR category | Voucher amount | Amount if the SHS is a SUC or LUC |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Capital Region (NCR) | A, B, D, E | Php22,500 | Php11,250 |
| National Capital Region (NCR) | C | Php18,000 | Not stated |
| Highly urbanized cities outside NCR | A, B, D, E | Php20,000 | Php10,000 |
| Highly urbanized cities outside NCR | C | Php16,000 | Not stated |
| All other locations | A, B, D, E | Php17,500 | Php8,750 |
| All other locations | C | Php14,000 | Not stated |
Top-up: if the school charges more than the voucher, the difference is called a top-up. The voucher does not cover it, so the learner pays it.
Terms of the voucher
A VPB keeps the subsidy if promoted to Grade 12 and enrolled in a private or non-DepEd public SHS. No maintaining grades are required.
A VPB loses the subsidy if they:
- Drop out in the middle of the school year
- Do not re-enroll the next school year
- Are not promoted to the next grade level
- Transfer to a different voucher-participating SHS within the school year
- Transfer to a DepEd SHS
VPBs who drop out because of prolonged illness, an accident, force majeure, or the death of a parent or guardian may be reinstated by sending supporting documents, such as a medical certificate, to the PEAC NS.
Transfers and other voucher questions
- Transferring schools: allowed only to another non-DepEd SHS and only at the end of the school year. If subsidy amounts differ, the receiving school is paid the lower amount and reports the transfer in the Voucher Management System.
- Forced mid-year transfers: if a school closes or leaves the program, the case is handled individually. Participating schools that close must inform PEAC promptly.
- Getting a voucher in Grade 12 only: not allowed. Vouchers are granted and used only when enrolling in Grade 11.
- Giving the voucher to another student: not allowed. It is not legal tender and cannot be transferred.
- No voucher: you can still go to senior high school. The voucher is only financial help for those who choose private or non-DepEd public schools; it is not a requirement for SHS.
Frequently asked questions
What does GASTPE stand for?
GASTPE stands for Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education. It was created by RA 6728, expanded by RA 8545, and extended to senior high school by RA 10533.
Do ESC grantees need to maintain certain grades?
No. The ESC grant continues as long as the grantee is promoted each year and stays enrolled in an ESC-participating JHS. It ends if the learner drops out, fails to be promoted, transfers to a non-ESC school, or is suspended for more than two weeks, dismissed, or expelled.
Do learners or teachers receive the ESC grant or TSS money directly?
No. DepEd releases ESC and TSS funds directly to the ESC-participating school. The school passes the TSS to qualified teachers in proportion to the service they actually rendered.
Can I get an SHS voucher in Grade 12 if I did not have one in Grade 11?
No. Vouchers are granted and used only when a learner enrolls in Grade 11, and incoming Grade 12 students who were not in the program in Grade 11 are not eligible.
Is the SHS voucher required to enroll in senior high school?
No. The voucher is only financial help for learners who choose a private or non-DepEd public SHS. Learners can enroll in senior high school without it.
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