264 colleges, universities haven’t submitted requirements for students’ subsidy
MANILA, Philippines – There are 264 colleges and universities who have not yet submitted documents required for the release of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), which helps eligible students shoulder school fees.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said on Tuesday that it had been receiving queries from parents and students who had not received the TES, which amounts to P60,000.
CHEd Chairperson Prospero de Vera III clarified that the release of the stipend was delayed because schools had not submitted the students’ billings.
“Two hundred sixty-four (264) private higher education institutions (HEIs) have yet to submit their billing requirements to the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) resulting in a delay in the processing and disbursing of [TES] stipends to some 6,628 qualified student-grantees,” CHEd said in a statement.
“We have been getting a lot of inquiries and complaints from our communication channels and social media platforms on the delays of the TES benefit distribution. We understand these frustrations and we recognize the situation of some of our students and their families during this COVID-19 pandemic,” De Vera added.
It is the PEAC that processes the billing statements of students who are included in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Listahan 2.0 and of those who live in towns without public universities.
After processing, the billing statements are endorsed to CHED and to the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) for payment. But if the schools have not submitted the billings, then PEAC would have nothing to review.
Both CHED and UniFAST reminded the higher educational institutions to comply with the requirements in order for the beneficiaries to receive the money, which may be used in enrolling for the upcoming school year.
According to the list released by CHEd, most of the schools yet to submit the documents are in the National Capital Region, with 59 schools including some of the biggest schools in the country.
On the other hand, 44 of the schools are found in the Southern Tagalog Region and 39 are in Central Luzon.
De Vera urged parents and students to only source their information from CHEd to avoid miscommunication and misinformation about the true status of the TES stipend.
“The Commission clarifies the statement released earlier regarding the P15B contribution to fund the operations and response measures related to COVID-19. There is no reduction of TES funds because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he noted.
Last May 22, the CHEd chief also clarified news reports that scholarships and financial assistance for students like the TES would continue, even with the agency setting aside some funds to help the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scare was caused by some articles saying that all scholarship grants would be suspended, but CHEd clarified that only new applications to TES and the Student Loan Program (SLP) would be foregone.
As COVID-19 cases pile on, the government appears to lean more towards distance learning or home-based schooling rather than being physically present in classrooms, as President Rodrigo Duterte wants a coronavirus vaccine discovered first before returning back to normal education modes.
Ever since the pandemic reached the country, continuing suspended classes have been a challenge, with some schools opting to continue education through online means. However, the prevailing problem has been the lack of adequate devices and slow internet connections.
READ: P3.6B state stipends released for 120,000 college students
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