THE Department of Budget and Management has released P3.84 billion so that about 141,000 eligible students can attend college for free or at a reduced cost.
DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the funding is under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education—Tertiary Education Subsidy (UAQTE-TES) of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
The amount released will cover the payables of CHED to various private higher education institutions (PHEIs) in municipalities and cities with ”No State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and No Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs)” under the UAQTE-TES for Academic Year 2021-2022.
“Imagine, ‘yung ipapambayad sa matrikula, maaari na lang ilaan ng mga magulang o ng working student sa iba pa nilang pangangailangan araw-araw gaya ng pagkain, pambayad sa kuryente, tubig, o panggastos sa pagpapagamot,” Pangandaman said on Wednesday.
”This will lighten the burden on their shoulders. DBM will ensure that this program will continue to get the funding it rightfully deserves,” she added.
According to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (Republic Act 10931), all Filipino students who enroll in courses leading to a bachelor’s degree in SUCs and local universities and colleges (LUCs) will be exempt from paying tuition and other school fees.
The TES, meanwhile, supports the cost of tertiary education for Filipino students who enroll in their first undergraduate-post-secondary program in SUCs, LUCs, private HEIs, and technical-vocational institutions.
A recent poll by Pulse Asia showed that 98% of Filipinos support free college tuition.
More than half (51%) of the 1,200 adult respondents said that free tuition leads to more graduates.
