RA 10533
Republic Act No. 10533 (RA 10533), otherwise known as the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, has expanded the years of schooling in basic
education from 10 years to 12 years. In school year 2018-2019, an additional 2 years representing Grades 11 and 12 will be introduced
in the basic education system through senior high school. Recognizing the need for additional support to students due to the added two
years in basic education, the State, through RA 10533, further expanded Republic Act 8545 (RA 8545) to provide financial assistance
to qualified grade 10 completers entering senior high school.
RA 10533 has mandated the Department of Education (DepEd) to formulate programs to enact the abovementioned provision of the law.
In line with this, DepEd Order No. 11 series of 2015 (DO 11 s.2015) introduced the Senior High School Voucher Program (SHS VP) as a
mechanism to provide financial assistance to senior high school students.
Through the SHS VP, the DepEd engages the non-DepEd Senior High School providers to enroll qualified voucher recipients from both Public
and Private Junior High Schools. Once qualified voucher recipients are enrolled in non-DepEd Senior High School providers,
the DepEd will provide assistance to these students through a voucher subsidy paid to the non-DepEd Senior High School provider.