TESDA allays fears of ex-PDAF scholars

MANILA, Philippines - Scholars dependent on the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers need not worry for they can still continue their studies, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) said yesterday.

TESDA director-general Joel Villanueva said PDAF scholars may opt to take up vocational courses.

“If not college, then there is tech-voc education,” Villanueva said.

With the congressional pork barrel gone, he said thousands of scholars may have difficulty finding means to stay in school.

But Villanueva said it should not spell the end of their dreams because there is a window of fresh opportunity in tech-voc education.

When the Supreme Court declared the PDAF unconstitutional last year, the fate of thousands of scholars benefiting from the fund was put in peril.

The lawmakers said they were not certain how many of their scholars for this school year would be absorbed by the Commission on Higher Education, which received an additional allocation of P1.05 billion from the Department of Budget and Management to fund previous pork barrel scholars and other higher education projects.

Villanueva said TESDA has two main scholarship programs open to all applicants. These are the Training for Work Scholarship Program and the Private Education Student Fund Assistance. 

The agency’s Special Training for Employment Program also offers skills training that will address the specific skills needs of the communities and promote employment, particularly through entrepreneurship, self-employment and service-oriented activities.

Villanueva said that TESDA and its accredited technical vocational institutions offer a variety of courses that have high demands for employment locally and abroad.

“Tech-voc is a pathway, too, to rewarding careers or employment opportunities. It involves more hands-on and practical exercises, and the route to a good job is shorter,” he said.