Executive takeaway

No. The Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act (Republic Act No. 11861, which amended RA 8972) does not generally compel private schools to grant “full scholarships” to solo parents or to their children. The law’s scholarship/education-related provisions are designed primarily as state and local government welfare support (implemented through agencies like DSWD, DepEd, CHED, and LGUs), not as an across-the-board mandate forcing private educational institutions to shoulder full tuition for qualified beneficiaries.

That said, the law and its implementing framework can still affect private-school enrollment indirectly through government educational assistance, LGU programs, and voluntary/private-sector participation—but those are not the same as a statutory duty to provide a full scholarship.

1) The legal framework: what the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act actually does

1.1 RA 11861 in context

RA 11861 broadened the coverage and strengthened benefits of the Solo Parents Welfare Act by:

Expanding who qualifies as a “solo parent” (more categories of circumstances are recognized).
Creating/strengthening a Solo Parent ID and benefit system.
Providing a set of benefits that include employment-related protections, cash or in-kind assistance, discounts, and social welfare services, including education-related assistance.

1.2 The nature of “educational benefits” under the law

When RA 11861 speaks of educational help, it is generally framed as:

Government-provided educational assistance, or
Programs facilitated by government agencies (national or local), sometimes in partnership with other sectors.

This matters because a legal duty on private schools to provide a “full scholarship” would normally need to be explicit and unambiguous (i.e., the statute must clearly say private schools must do X, define scope, funding, enforcement, penalties, and implementing agency). In the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act’s structure, the emphasis is welfare support delivered by the state rather than unfunded mandates imposed on private education providers.

2) Why “private schools must give full scholarships” is not the correct reading

2.1 No clear statutory command = no general obligation

A “full scholarship” is a heavy financial obligation. In Philippine statutory interpretation, courts and implementers generally do not infer burdensome duties on private entities from broad welfare language unless the law clearly imposes it.

So, unless the law expressly states something like:

“Private educational institutions shall grant full tuition scholarships to qualified solo parents/children,” and provides:
eligibility rules,
coverage (basic ed vs college),
enforcement and penalties,
funding/tax offsets (if any), …it is not treated as a mandatory private-school obligation.

2.2 Welfare benefits are primarily state obligations

RA 11861 is a social welfare statute. Social welfare statutes typically:

Create entitlements against government programs and services (subject to qualification),
Direct agencies to create mechanisms and allocate resources, and
Encourage multi-sector support (including private sector), but do not automatically convert private actors into primary funders.

2.3 Private schools are regulated, but compelled scholarships are usually specific and program-based

Where private schools participate in student support, it’s commonly through specific schemes (e.g., government-funded assistance, vouchers, or institutional scholarship policies) rather than a blanket law requiring “full scholarships” for a beneficiary class.

3) What private schools may still have to do (and what they don’t)

3.1 What private schools are not required to do under RA 11861 (general rule)

They are not required to automatically provide full scholarships solely because a student is a child of a solo parent.
They are not generally required to create a special scholarship slot or waive tuition fully for solo-parent beneficiaries as a statutory obligation.

3.2 What private schools may do (voluntary/contractual)

Private schools may:

Offer institutional scholarships or financial aid to solo parents/children as part of their own policies;
Accept students funded by government educational assistance (national or LGU) where the government, not the school, bears all or part of the cost;
Join partnership programs (MOUs) with LGUs/agencies to support solo-parent beneficiaries.

These are voluntary or contractual arrangements, not an automatic legal requirement to provide full scholarships out of the school’s own funds.

3.3 What private schools might have to honor—if another valid policy applies

A private school could be required to honor certain benefits if:

A separate law/regulation clearly imposes a discount/privilege applicable to private schools (and it covers the particular fee); or
There is a DepEd/CHED-recognized program, contract, or LGU ordinance that the school has agreed to participate in.

But that obligation would come from the other law/program/contract, not from a generalized reading of RA 11861 as “full scholarship required.”

4) So where do “scholarships” come from for solo parents and their children?

4.1 Public institutions (where the law’s thrust is strongest)

The Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act is best understood as strengthening access to support through:

Public schools, state universities and colleges (SUCs), and other public training/education pathways; and
CHED/LGU/DSWD assistance mechanisms that can be applied to educational needs.

4.2 Government educational assistance that can be used in private schools (indirect benefit)

Even if private schools are not compelled to give full scholarships, solo-parent beneficiaries may still get education support that can be used toward private schooling through:

LGU educational aid (city/municipal scholarship or assistance programs),
National agency assistance (depending on eligibility and availability),
Government-funded programs that subsidize student costs (program-specific, not automatic).

In these cases, the private school is simply receiving payment (full or partial) from the government or sponsor—not donating a full scholarship.

5) Practical guidance: if a private school says “we don’t offer full scholarships for solo parents,” what now?

5.1 Ask the right question

Instead of asking “Are you required to give a full scholarship?”, ask:

Do you have an institutional scholarship/discount for solo parents?
Do you accept students under LGU/agency educational assistance programs?
What documents do you accept as proof of eligibility? (e.g., Solo Parent ID, certificate of indigency, etc.)
Can fees be structured by installment if assistance is pending?

5.2 Use the Solo Parent ID strategically

The Solo Parent ID is still valuable even with private schools because it can help you:

Qualify for government support, discounts, or services;
Access LGU programs that can subsidize education costs;
Establish eligibility for certain welfare-related services tied to the law.

5.3 If you believe you were denied a government-provided benefit

If the issue is with an agency or LGU benefit (not the private school’s own scholarship), the remedy is usually administrative:

Clarify eligibility and coverage with the local DSWD office / city or municipal social welfare office that processes solo parent concerns and IDs; and
Escalate within the agency/LGU channels if there’s a denial inconsistent with program rules.

6) Bottom line

The core answer

Private schools are generally not legally required to provide full scholarships under the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act (RA 11861). The law’s education support is primarily implemented through government assistance, public education channels, and welfare mechanisms, with private-sector participation typically encouraged or program-based, not imposed as a universal “full scholarship” duty.

The actionable reality

If you want a “full scholarship” in a private school setting, it usually comes from:

the school’s own scholarship policy, or
a government/LGU scholarship or educational aid that can be applied to private tuition, or
a sponsor/partner program that pays the school.

If you want, paste the exact clause you’re relying on (or the specific wording you saw about scholarships), and I’ll do a line-by-line legal reading in plain English—still within Philippine context and without outside lookup.