May 27, 1991 DO 58, s. 1991 – Educational Service Contracting and Tuition Fee Supplement at the Secondary Level SY 1991-92

DO 58, s. 1991 – Educational Service Contracting and Tuition Fee Supplement at the Secondary Level SY 1991-92

May 27, 1991

DO 58, s. 1991

Educational Service Contracting and Tuition Fee Supplement at the Secondary Level SY 1991-92

To: Bureau Directors
Regional Directors
Schools Superintendents
Heads of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities

Declaration of Policy

1. R.A. No. 6728 entitled “ An Act Providing Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education, and Appropriating Funds. Therefore, “stipulates that it is the declared policy of the State, in conformity with the mandate of the Constitution, to promote and make quality education accessible to all Filipino citizens. The State also hereby recognizes the complementary roles of public and private schools in the educational system and the invaluable contribution they make to education.

2. The Educational Service Contracting (ESC) Scheme which has been managed and administered by the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE) since SY 1986-87 will be directly administered by the Bureau of Secondary Education (BSE), Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) through the DECSROs effective SY 1991-92.

3. The Tuition Fee Supplement for high school students will be administered by BSE and will continue to be under the administration and supervision of that Bureau through DECSROs.

4. In Educational Service Contracting (ESC), the government and a private school may enter into a contract for the purpose of accommodating students in said private school. The government pays the tuition and other school fees of students who can not be accommodated in public schools because of lack of teachers, space or facilities, or similar reasons. The scheme may also be applicable in communities where there is no public school and the only educational service available is in a private school, subject to availability of funds after all other requirements have been met and explicit approval by the Regional Director concerned as to the number of students to be accommodated, has been secured.

5. ESC payment per student grantee shall be at the rate prescribed by the school for other students but not to exceed P1,320.00.

6. The Tuition Fee Supplement (TFS) is a subsidy given by the government in the amount of two hundred ninety pesos (P290.00) per student enrolled in a private secondary school which charged less than P1,500.00 for SY 1990-91.

Implementation ESC AND TFS Guidelines for SY 1991-92

7. These guidelines on the management and implementation of the two assistance programs for high school students (ESC and TFS) are hereby promulgated for school year 1991-92 and shall be enforceable and in effect until otherwise changed, modified or repealed.

a. Project Management

(1) State Assistance Council (SAC) shall be responsible for policy guidance and direction, monitoring, evaluation, and the promulgation of rules and regulations of GASTPE programs (ESC and TFS)

(2) BSE-GASTPE Unit is composed of:

Chairman – BSE Director IV

Vice-Chairman – BSE Director III

GASTPE Coordinator – Chief, Staff Development Division

ESC Coordinator and Members

TFS Coordinator and Members

Responsibilities of the Unit:

Supervises, monitors, and oversees the implementation of ESC and TFS programs in all participating private schools;

Sends written communications to Regional Project Committee (RPC) on DECS guidelines and policies through channels;

Collects, collates, and interprets pertinent data on ESC/TFS from the RPC and makes periodic reports whenever needed; and

Evaluates/assesses the ESC/TFS program implementation.

(3) Regional Project Committee (RPC)

Chairman – Regional Director IV

Vice-Chairman – Regional Director III

GASTPE Coordinator (Secondary Level) – Chief, Secondary Education Division (SED)

Asst. Coordinator – Asst. Chief, SED

Members: Head, Private Schools Association

NEDA Representative

DILG Representative

PSAS (Private Schools Area Supervisor)

Responsibilities of the RPC:

Sets up Division Coordinating Committees (DCC) to handle ESC/TFS at the division level;

Identifies sites where excess enrolment is registered;

Supervises, monitors, and oversees the implementation of ESC/TFS programs in the regional level;

Provides BSE-GASTPE Implementing Unit with needed ESC/TFS data/reports;

Disseminates relevant information on ESC/TFS implementing rules;

Resolves issues/problems on ESC/TFS programs in the regions; and

Disburses ESC/TFS funds to participating schools/benefeciaries and submits duly certified periodic updates to BSE-GASTPE Implementing Unit.

(4) Division Coordinating Committee (DCC)

Chairman – Schools Division Superintendent

Vice-Chairman – Asst. Schools Superintendent for Secondary Level

Members: Private Schools Area Supervisor (PSAS)

Principal, Public High School

Principal, Private High School

Civic Sector Representative

Municipal Development Office Representative

Responsibilities of DCC:

Identifies overflow students according to guidelines set:

Checks, reviews, and processes ESC/TFS required documents presented by participating private schools;

Monitors and confirms enrolment data;

Prepare and submits needed statistical data on ESC/TFS programs to RPC; and

Endorses to RPC a duly certified:

(a) TFS list of participating schools indicating the number of beneficiaries ( after deducting the total number of ESC grantees from the total enrolment ) and the amount claimed ( number of beneficiaries multiplied by P290 )

(b) ESC list of participating schools indicating the number of grantees by year level and the total amount claimed ( actual tuition and other fees charged ).

These lists should be duly certified by the Division Finance Officer and the Schools Division Superintendent.

b. Procedural Management

(1) Educational Service Contracting ( ESC ) Scheme

(a) Selection of Schools

1. Any duly recognized private high school in the student’s area of residence may participate in the ESC.

2. A school may e excluded from the ESC program when it does not comply with ESC guidelines, has low NCEE performance, high dropout rate, has congested classrooms, and inadequate support facilities.

3. When a school is excluded from further participation in ESC, the RPC shall make a report to the BSE-GASTPE Unit.

(b) Selection of ESC Grantees/Enrolment Procedure

Public high school principal implements early enrolment schedule on a first-come-first-served basis, and number ( not more than 55 students in one class ) the names in the list consecutively until the limit is reached.

Students enrolled after the school quota of 55 has been filled, are considered excess or overflow.

The public high school principal issues an individual certification of Excess Enrolment to each overflow student advising him/her to enrol in a duly recognized private school of his/her choice in the area of his/her residence under the condition that the government shall pay tuition and other fees actually charged by the school up to a maximum of P1,320/annum.

The overflow student presents Certification of Excess Enrolment from the public high school principal, his elementary report card and parent’s latest income tax return or certification of family income to the private high school principal participating in the ESC program and undergoes the normal enrolment procedure. Among ESC grantees, preference is given to overflow students whose family income is not more than P36,000 per annum.

In a municipality where there is no public school and the only educational service available is in a private school, ESC may be undertaken subject to availability of funds. However, priority will be given to students who are residents of the community and come from families whose income falls below the poverty line as defined by NEDA.

After the enrolment of excess/overflow students, the private high school principal prepares a Certification of Enrolment together with the tuition fee schedule per year level and submits them to the Schools Division Superintendent, Chairman of DCC.

After checking and reviewing the list of ESC grantees, the Schools Division Superintendent indorses it to the GASTPE Regional Coordinator who, in turn, prepares the summary list of ESC grantees including the tuition fee schedule per school participating in the program.

The Regional Coordinator submits such list to the BSE-GSTPE Unit at the 3rd floor, Bonifacio Building, University of Life Complex, Pasig, Metro Manila, for budget allocation.

Replacement of dropout ESC grantees is not allowed. ESC grantees who drop out shall no longer be eligible for any GASTPE grant.

Once the student is enrolled as an ESC grantee in a participating private school, he shall be considered a bonafide student to the rules and regulations of that school.

ESC grantees must pass the minimum requirements that will qualify them for promotion to the next year level under DECS rules, otherwise, their privileges of free education under ESC shall terminate.

In the event that the tuition and other school fees of a private school exceed the set ceiling, it may collect the balance from an ESC grantee provided that the student is notified of said arrangement and the consent of his parents is obtained. Initial processing of papers for payments to be made to participating schools will be done by the DCC.

Payments are processed at the DECSROs which issue checks directly to the participating schools.

ESC privilege shall terminate if grantee transfers to another private school outside the region.

Tuition Fee Supplement ( TFS )

(a) Procedure

Private high schools which charged tuition and other fees less than P1,500 including subsidy in SY 1990-91, shall register with the DCC on or before July 25, 1991 and every year thereafter, using TFS Form 1 ( Tuition and Other Fees Supplement Voucher ) to be prepared in quadruplicate: one copy for RPC, one for the school and one for public posting in school premises. The data in Form 1 shall be the basis for payment of TFS claims.

The DCC Chairman prepares and submits to the RPC a report on tuition using fee supplement claims for SY 1991-92 using TFS Form 2 not later than August 20, 1991. The data in Form 2 will be the basis for budgetary allocation.

GASTPE Regional Coordinator ( GRC ) prepares the consolidated report also using TFS Form 2 and submits it to the BSE-GASTPE Unit not later than August 20, 1991.

Vouchers are processed at the DECSROs which issue checks directly to the schools corresponding to the aggregate amount indicated in the vouchers.

After the payment of participating schools, GRC submits the following:

periodic disbursement update using TFS Form 3

year-end report using TFS Form 4

a final report using TFS Form 5 before the end of the school year addressed to:

The GSTPE Unit
Bureau of Secondary Education
3rd Floor, Bonifacio Bldg.
University of Life Complex
Pasig, Metro Manila

In case there are balances to be paid, a duly certified financial statement by the Regional Finance Officer indicating the school and the exact amount due shall be submitted to BSE to serve as basis for additional allotment.

(b) Limitation of Student Participation

An awardee is disqualified from TFS benefit if:

he fails in majority of the academic subjects he enrolled in for one school year, unless such failure is due to some valid causes beyond his control; and

he transfers residence outside the region.

Seventy percent (70%) of the tuition fee increase shall go to the payment of salaries, wages, allowances, and other benefits of teaching and non-teaching personnel except administrators who are principal stockholders of the schools. It may be used to cover increases as provided for in the collective bargaining agreements existing or in force at the time when R.A. 6728 was approved and made effective.

Government subsidies are not used directly for salaries of teachers for non-secular subjects.

At least twenty percent ( 20% ) shall go to the improvement or modernization of buildings, equipment, libraries, laboratories, gymnasia and similar facilities and to the payment of other costs and operation.

A certification on the above allocation of proceeds shall be attached to the final report on GASTPE at the end of the school year.

(d) Penalties

In case of any violation of these guidelines and the provisions of R.A. 6728, the DECS, upon recommendation of SAC, may bar the institution from participating in or benefitting from GASTPE programs and in other programs of the Department, without prejudice to administrative and criminal charges which may be filed against the school and/or its responsible officers under existing laws. It will also not allow the institution to raise its tuition and other fees.

Any school who shall refuse to furnish copies of their audited financial statements to concerned sectors with whom they are having consultation prior to tuition fee increases shall forfeit the right to increase their tuition fees, in addition to other penalties or sanctions as may be imposed under the preceding paragraph or by existing laws.

8. Inclosure A are ESC Forms 1, 2, 3, and 4. Inclosure B are TFS Forms 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

9. All DECS rules, regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

(SGD.) ISIDRO D. CARIÑO
Secretary

Incls.:
As stated

Reference:
DECS Order: No. 120, s. 1990

Allotment: 1-2-4—(M.O. 1-87)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index
under the following subjects:

AMENDMENT
FEES
LEGISLATION
RULES & REGULATIONS
SCHOOLS
STUDENTS
UNIVERSITIES and COLLEGES

DO_s1991_058