An official of the Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said the government would provide aid to private school students and teachers who have been affected by the pandemic.

“Iyan po ay ibinibigay natin doon sa mga paaralan para mabigyan ng assistance in the form of tuition and teachers’ subsidy ‘yung mga paaralan natin para hindi po magsarado (That’s given to schools to provide assistance in the form of tuition and teachers’ subsidy so that the schools will not shut down),” DepEd Undersecretary for Planning Service and Field Operations Jesus Mateo said in a virtual public briefing.

Mateo reported that a total of 305,842 learners from private schools transferred to public schools as of July 16.

Out of the total number, about 192,471 are elementary students, 77,369 are junior high school students, 29,956 are senior high school students and 6,046 are learners with disabilities or non-graded.

“Sa katunayan nga po, noong May, ang ating kalihim ay dumulog sa Inter Agency Task Force [IATF] para po i-elevate ang mga hinaing o requests ng private schools kung pwede sila isama sa programa ng pamahalaan dahil apektado po talaga ‘yung kanilang mga guro at ibang empleyado (The truth is, in May, our Secretary presented to the IATF the concerns or requests of private schools if they can be included in the government’s program since their teachers and other employees are affected),” Mateo said. (PNA)