About PEAC

The Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) is a five (5)-member committee constituted to serve as trustee of the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE), a permanent and irrevocable trust fund. The committee possesses powers and authorities enumerated under Executive Order (E.O.) No. 156, series of 1968, as amended. It is composed of the following:

Pursuant to E.O. No. 156, series of 1968, as amended, PEAC is allowed to hire administrative staff to assist it in running its programs and activities. In this regard, it has created the PEAC National Secretariat (PEAC NS) that is headed by an Executive Director appointed by the PEAC for a fixed term.

Under E.O. No. 150, series of 1994, amending Section 2 of E.O. No. 156, series of 1968, PEAC was granted the express authority to manage and administer contributions, donations, grants, bequests, gifts and/or loans from the Government of the Republic of the Philippines for programs of assistance to private education.

In 1982, the Department of Education (DepEd), through the assistance of PEAC, successfully piloted a scheme which served as a precursor to the Education Service Contracting (ESC) and provided a cost-effective alternative to public school expansion by entering into service contracts with private schools that would accommodate overflow students from the public schools as well as students in communities where there were no public schools, thus enabling the Government to realize substantial savings.

In recognition of the favorable outcome of and feedback on the ESC program during its pilot phase for the period 1982-1986 and its national implementation handled by PEAC from 1986-1991, DepEd since 1996 up to the present has engaged PEAC as co-implementer to assist it in the management and implementation of the ESC, Teachers’ Salary Subsidy (TSS), Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP), as well as In-Service Training (INSET) of the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) program established under R.A. No. 6728, as amended by R.A. No. 8545 for private school programs.

The Regional Secretariats headed by the Regional Program Directors who are Presidents of private educational institutions in 16 regions are part of the PEAC infrastructure for program management.

PEAC is in regular consultation with the program stakeholders and it is also responsive to the needs of the sector. A case in point is the meeting between PEAC and the Marawi City and Lanao del Sur Private Schools Association that was held last August 2017 to discuss the issues and concerns of participating schools that were affected by the conflict in Marawi City. The result of that meeting was a set of policy recommendations, which PEAC transmitted to DepEd for its approval. DepEd would eventually release DO 50, s. 2018 on the special provisions for participating schools, students and teachers of Marawi City in the ESC, TSS, and SHS Voucher Program.

In 2004, PEAC developed the Certification Program for the ESC to ensure that participating schools comply with the DepEd minimum requirements for the junior high school program. The certification assessment instrument was recently revised to reflect the K-12 standards and other DepEd policies.

PEAC also instituted a special protocol for the certification for schools in high-risk areas. The location of these schools may be in areas where there is armed conflict or in islands that can be safely reached on specific months. The protocol was implemented for schools in Sulu, North Cotabato, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao, and Marawi City.

PEAC is presently developing an instrument to assess the delivery of senior high school providers participating in the voucher program through the commissioned research, “Development and Field Testing of a Certification Assessment Instrument for Schools Participating in the SHS Voucher Program.” At present, the researchers have conducted focus group discussions participated in by administrators from private SHS providers, SUCs and LUCs that offer SHS in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to elicit their understanding of the SHS requirements, the challenges and best practices in implementing the senior high school program.

Another notable research project that PEAC supports is the study, “Strengthening the Complementarity of Private and Public Education: Towards Greater Inclusion, Efficiency and Freedom of Choice,” by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU). The study aims to analyze public and private sector roles in the finance, provision, and regulation of education services; and assess existing and proposed policies and programs related to complementarity of public and private education.

The In-Service Training (INSET) Program developed, designed, and conducted by PEAC has helped both administrators and teachers in JHS and SHS implement the K-12 reforms. The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has accredited PEAC as a CPD provider and all its training courses that allow the participants to earn credit units required for the renewal of their professional licenses.

It is noteworthy to mention that because of its nature, PEAC is able to marshall support from the private schools in the country, allowing it to tap the vast talent in the sector. Certifiers, trainers and monitors are credible school officials and faculty members from the private schools participating in the programs.

In sum, the PEAC has been an effective instrument to operationalize “complementarity” between private and public schools as provided in the Philippine Constitution. It has also been an incorruptible partner of the education agencies in efficiently co-implementing national subsidy programs for students and teachers in private schools.