A decade after the last increase in rates in 2017.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), it has secured the first increase in its Educational Service Contracting (ESC) grant rates since 2017.
The ESC program is implemented under the department’s Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE), which offers four consecutive years of financial assistance to qualified incoming Grade 7 learners entering participating private junior high schools.
These subsidies are then released directly to ESC-participating schools for learners who maintain continuous enrollment and academic promotion through Grade 10.
The subsidy adjustment, which will take effect starting School Year 2027-2028, will apply to incoming Grade 7 ESC grantees.
Under the new structure, annual ESC grants in the National Capital Region (NCR) will rise from PHP13,000 to PHP17,500.
Meanwhile, for grantees in highly urbanized cities (HUCs) outside Metro Manila, they will receive PHP14,500 (from PHP11,000), while those in all other regions will receive PHP12,000 (from PHP9,000).
DepEd also noted that the government subsidy will now cover roughly 34 to 50 percent of mandatory tuition and miscellaneous fees.
The said subsidy adjustment was approved through an ad referendum by members of the State Assistance Council, comprised of DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST),
In his statement, Education Secretary Sonny Angara stressed that that the adjustment provides timely financial relief for households and noted that the higher subsidy strengthens the government’s partnership with private schools as they look to continue easing congestion in public classrooms.
“Matagal nang hinihintay ng mga magulang at ng ating mga partner private schools ang dagdag na tulong na ito,” Angara said. “Malaking ginhawa ang mas mataas na subsidy para masigurong tuloy-tuloy ang pag-aaral ng ating mga kabataan at hindi sila napipilitang huminto dahil sa kakulangan sa pambayad.”
Meanwhile, DepEd recently intensified crackdown on fraudulent subsidy claims while rolling out major reforms under DepEd Order No. 11, series of 2026.
Under the new order, the E-GASTPE framework that fortified operational safeguards across the Senior High School Voucher Program has been updated.
To catch non-existent beneficiaries and invalid billings before money is released, DepEd is enforcing a five-layer billing validation process that looks to prevent, detect, and address invalid claims throughout the program cycle.
DepEd also noted that it continues to pursue criminal cases and complaints against erring private school administrators and former personnel involved in fraudulent claims.
These tightened controls have shown positive results, with DepEd successfully withholding over PHP238 million in suspicious billings during School Year 2025-2026 and recovered PHP79.1 million in refunds from non-compliant schools.
