DepEd backs expansion of subsidy for private school teachers

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said it supports the expansion of the Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS) to all basic education teachers in private schools nationwide. 

“We are open to expanding it…I think that’s really the spirit of the law, whatever is needed to really support our private schools,” Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara said at a conference. 

This comes after Ateneo de Naga University President Aristotle C. Dy inquired about expanding the program to grade school and senior high school (SHS) teachers. 

“The more I am exposed to smaller private schools, sometimes I am shocked at the salaries of the teachers,” Mr. Dy said. “In many schools, salaries of teachers are not even half of DepEd teachers’ wages.” 

The Private Education Association Committee (PEAC), which administers the Education Service Contracting (ESC) and TSS programs, said that the annual government subsidy is for qualified teachers in ESC-participating junior high schools. 

The TSS is part of the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program outlined under the Republic Act No. 8545, also known as the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act. 

In August, the Education department increased the TSS for eligible private school teachers from P18,000 to P24,000, effective for the School Year (S.Y.) 2025-2026. 

“I don’t think complementarities are a static thing or a static concept. It must evolve over time, and definitely, we don’t want all teachers migrating to the public sector,” Mr. Angara said. 

“It’s important that as they develop relationships in their schools, with their students, with their communities, it’s also important that there’s some stability in these relationships,” he added. 

In S.Y. 2023-2024, the PEAC reported that around 3,600 institutions nationwide are ESC-participating schools, while 894,273 students were considered ESC grantees. — Almira Louse S. Martinez