MANILA, Philippines — Private higher education institutions (HEIs) will be big players in the government’s ambitious effort to provide free quality tertiary education to poor but deserving students under Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
Out of the 300,000 slots for beneficiaries of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program that is a component of RA 10931, more than 120,000 slots can go to students who will pursue college education in private institutions.
Catholic Education Association of the Philippines (CEAP) president Fr. Joel Tabora said private HEIs are excited to be close partners of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as it implements the free college education law, particularly the TES program.
“We believe that we have a responsibility to continue working with CHED and the (Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education) board to make the implementation of RA 10931 something which resonates with our hopes and dreams (for) our various schools,” Tabora said in a press briefing with CHED during the signing of agreements with almost 1,000 private HEIs for the implementation of the TES program.
The TES is a grants-in-aid program designed for poor students enrolled in public and private HEIs. It will provide beneficiaries financial assistance ranging from P40,000 to P60,000 per year. This covers tuition and other school fees, allowance for books, transportation, supplies, room and board fees, and other education-related expenses.
CHED chairman J. Prospero De Vera III, who signed the agreement for CHED, earlier said there were 1.1 million applications for the almost 300,000 slots allotted for the program for the current school year.
The agreement paves the way for the transfer of the funds to private schools with TES beneficiaries.
De Vera said 48,436 applicants for the TES from private universities are on Listahanan 2.0 of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as families identified as among the country’s poorest.
Some 103,000 applicants who are on the list go to either state universities and colleges (SUCs) private schools and are considered second priority in the selection to get TES grants.