THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) yesterday urged Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries to avail of various government tertiary education and skill-training support programs to sustain their education learning.
Social Welfare Assistant Secretary and spokesman Romel Lopez said the Commission on Higher Education and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) offers various educational assistance programs such as scholarships, grant-in-aid, and even student loan programs.
“These programs aim to enhance access to quality education for qualified beneficiaries of the country’s flagship anti-poverty program by easing the financial burden of deserving individuals aspiring to pursue higher education,” Lopez said.
He said the CHED programs include the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) which harmonizes different government-funded student financial assistance programs for poor but qualified college students.
The beneficiaries of 4Ps may also opt to enroll in any CHED-recognized public and private higher education institutions and avail of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) which provides the qualified students with at least P20,000 of assistance per academic year to cover the partial cost of school fees and education-related expenses, or the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) which provides a maximum grant of P15,000 for one academic year.
Lopez said TESDA also provides free technical-vocational education and training in any state-run technical-vocational institution.
He also said different State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and CHED-recognized Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), under Republic Act 10931 that exempt students from paying tuition and other school fees, also provide free higher education.
