Manila, May 1 -- The Department of Education (DepEd) will continue providing subsidies for underprivileged learners in private schools for the upcoming school year, with more than 2.4 million beneficiaries targeted under the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE).

Nearly 990,000 junior high school students will be covered by the Educational Service Contracting (ESC) program, while around 1.47 million senior high school learners will benefit from the Senior High School voucher program (SHS-VP) for School Year 2026-2027.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the program will allow families to enroll their children in private schools, easing financial pressure while helping to decongest publ...