A Bicameral Conference Committee approved the proposed Private Basic Education Vouchers Assistance Act, a measure aimed at funding tuition for low-income students to attend private schools.

The panel harmonized differing versions passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate into a unified bill. The reconciled legislation will now be sent back to both chambers for final ratification before heading to the president’s desk.

House lawmakers said the passage of the bill is crucial to addressing the country’s ongoing education crisis.

House Speaker Faustino Dy III said the voucher program provides low-income families with educational choices while utilizing available resources in the private school sector.

“Education remains the best investment we can make for our country’s future,” Dy said. “By strengthening the voucher program, we are giving more Filipino families meaningful educational choices while supporting the important role that private schools play in our education system.”

Dy stressed that the bill aims to prevent financial limitations from hindering a child’s access to schooling.

“No Filipino child should be exempted from the right to education because of a lack of financial capacity,” he said.

Under the provisions of the bill, the tuition vouchers will be distributed to qualified learners from kindergarten through Grade 12 in communities where public school classrooms are already overcrowded.