A top educator in Dagupan City has deplored the absence of any allocation of the Educational Voucher System (EVS) through the Expanded Service Contracting (ESC) program of the Department of Education (DepEd) for private high schools in Pangasinan.

Dr. Mac Arthur Samson, president of the University of Luzon, said under the ESC as stipulated by law, excess students of public high schools should be passed on to private high schools and the government will pay for the corresponding tuition fees through the EVS.

Samson noted that many public schools in Pangasinan, especially Dagupan, are overcrowded and lacking in both classrooms and teachers due to a high number of enrollees, but the program apparently has not been extended to the province.

He said at recent meeting among members of the Association of Private Schools Colleges and Universities (APSCU) in the region, it was found out that aside from Pangasinan, another area that Ilocos Norte has not been covered by the DepEd’s program as well.

“I would like to call the attention of principals of public schools that under the law, they should   pass on their excess students to private high schools,” Samson said.

Samson cited a survey that in many public schools in Pangasinan, some classes were made to accommodate as many as 80 students per class.

Under the twin programs of the DepEd, each student that would be passed on from public to private schools would be given a voucher equivalent to P5,000 service contract.

Under the free high school education program, public high schools do not charge tuition fees.

This implementation of the program in the province was repeatedly announced by President Gloria Arroyo during her visits to the province.

APSCU has already asked Education Secretary Jesli Lapus to clarify why Pangasinan and Ilocos Norte are not included in the program’s coverage. —LM

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