Oct 072017
 

MANILA, Sept 28 (Mabuhay) –Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Patricia Licuanan said on Wednesday that Congress must take care in carving the K-12 program to provide funding for Republic Act No. 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

In a press conference, Licuanan said, “Congress has to proceed really carefully here because this is a very good thing to fund and we all want it funded. But to take from another important program and then put it there, in the end, students also will suffer.”

CHED’s own K-12 budget to upgrade the skills of primary, secondary, and tertiary schoolteachers was already cut, though Licuanan is unsure if the amount was reallocated to the free tuition program.

“There are cuts also in CHED from the K-12 budget. I don’t know if that was justified by the free tuition but that is very important. The K-12 budget is used in this particular case for faculty to get higher credentials so that the quality of education may also improve,” she said.

About P30 million was stripped from the Department of Education’s school building program, particularly from unimplemented projects, and moved to the P40 billion fund the House appropriated from various agencies for the free tuition law.

“That is the approach. Tthey look at what departments have excess funds and that’s where we’re getting the money,” Licuanan said.

At least P51.4 billion is required to implement the free tuition law in state universities and colleges: P22.6 billion will be allocated to free tuition and other school fees, P7 billion for tech-voc education, P21.6 billion for tertiary education subsidy, P0.5 billion for the student loan program, and P100 million for administrative costs.

“We will probably ask P40 billion from Congress but we have to probably ask Senate for additional. If the bicam does not approve additional funds, then we may have to adjust the internal budget for the implementation,” she said on Wednesday.(MNS)

Dec 302013
 
Audit finds lax monitoring of CHED scholarship grants

The Commission on Audit (COA) has found alleged anomalies in the Commission on Higher Education’s (CHED) student financial assistance program (StuFAP), which used to be funded by the now-discontinued Priority Development Assistance Fund and Disbursement Acceleration Program. According to a “24 Oras” report aired Monday evening, COA’s 2012 audit findings, released Friday, showed CHED gave a disproportionate amount to students under their “Study Now, Pay Later” plan, and collected only a fraction of it from students. It found that study grants were given in violation of CHED guidelines. “The selection, screening, awarding and determination of the amount of the grant to each student beneficiary,” according to the report, “were entrusted to the Office of the Legislator through a [memorandum of agreement].” Because of this, student were given financial assistance ranging from P16,000 to P110,000, exceeding the P15,000 limit per semester for CHED’s Full Merit scholars. Despite the selection, some P112,638,412 in claims listed by CHED were found to lack proper documentation such as student grades and ITR.  Nine CHED regional offices reported a due amount of P138,591,978.43 from student borrowers, but only P2,469,242.65 was collected from these regions. The COa report cited a “collection efficiency ranging from 0.07 percent to 4.68 percent, due to lack of manpower, non-enforcement of the terms of the contract, inadequate monitoring system, and the absence and non-updating of [subsidiary ledgers].”  Meanwhile, checks amounting to P18,840,038.60 were released by CHED’s Central, NCR, and Region IV-A offices to people other than the registered beneficiaries. The anomalies spotted Read More …

Nov 222013
 
CHED promises to find funding to keep PDAF scholars in school

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) assured scholars dependent on lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund that they can stay in school despite the Supreme Court’s recent decision declaring the multibillion-peso fund unconstitutional. In a statement released Friday, CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan said the commission is now looking into other possible funding sources for PDAF scholars so their studies will not be affected. Licuanan added CHED asked 111 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the country as early as October to allow PDAF beneficiaries enrolled for the first semester of this school year to enroll again for the second semester. Some scholars have expressed fears they will have to stop their studies following the Supreme Court’s issuance last month of a temporary restraining order on the release of the second tranche of the 2013 PDAF. Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone has warned that over 200,000 scholars will be affected by the order to freeze PDAF use. Licuanan said CHED is currently assessing the situation of PDAF beneficiaries enrolled in private higher education institutions (HEIs) to determine how it can help scholars continue their studies. “Once CHED has assessed the resources needed by former PDAF grantees in public and private HEIs, CHED will tap into its Higher Education Development Fund, funds from the General Appropriations Act and possibly from the President’s Social Fund,” she said. In a 14-0-1 vote, the Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the PDAF, more commonly known as the pork barrel, unconstitutional. The Court declared the PDAF Article in Read More …

Oct 232013
 
Strengthened Study Now Pay Later Program pushed

President Benigno S. Aquino III poses for a group photo with the Iskwelahang Pilipino Rondalla during the courtesy call held at Malacanang’s Heroes Hall. The ensemble formed in 1986 through the vision of Cristina Castro who, with a shoestring budget, searched for several years to find a teacher while building up an arsenal of instruments for the children the IP Rondalla has flourished as a truly Filipino American expression, incorporating into its repertoire aspects of traditional and contemporary music from the Philippines and the United States.also in photo are Violaere Rodriguez Bailey, Education secretary Bro. Armin Luistro and IP Rondalla founder Cristina Castro (MNS photo) MANILA, Oct. 21 (Mabuhay) – A lawmaker has moved to strengthen the Study Now Pay Later Program (SNPLP) pioneered by President Aquino’s late father, Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr., to enable the government to reach out to more poor but deserving students. Rep. Eric Olivarez (1st District, Parañaque City) filed House Bill 265, to be known as the Reformed Study Now Pay Later Act of 2013, which provides for a reinforced financial assistance program for qualified individuals. The bill mandates that seventy percent allocated for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) annually through their various financial assistance programs shall go to the SNPLP’s Loan Trust Fund. Likewise, the amount derived from loan repayments of borrowers, including the principal and interests, shall accrue to the Loan Trust Fund. Olivarez said the SNPLP is a big help not only for Read More …

May 292013
 
Youth groups seek SC help vs. tuition hikes

A party-list group advocating students’ rights and several youth and student organizations on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to stop 354 higher educational institutions (HEIs) from hiking their tuition and other fees this coming school year. The approval from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) that paved the way for the hike should likewise be reversed, the petitioners, led by Kabataan party-list, said in a 46-page petition for certiorari, mandamus, and prohibition. “The Commission on Higher Education violated the petitioners’ constitutional right to accessible and quality education for failing to perform its constitutional duties to take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all and to exercise reasonable supervision and regulation of all educational institutions,” the petition read. The petitioners asked the SC to issue a writ of preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order/status quo ante order to prevent the schools from implementing the tuition and other fees hike. The group accused CHED of failing to exercise “reasonable regulation and supervision” when it approved the increase without “implementing the statutory procedure for tuition consultation” as prrovided under Section 10 of Republic Act 6728 or the Government Assistance To Students and Teachers In Private Education Act. Section 10 states that “[i]n any proposed increase in the rate of tuition fee, there shall be appropriate consultations conducted by the school administration with the duly organized parents and teachers associations and faculty associations with respect to secondary schools, and with students governments or councils, alumni and faculty associations with respect to colleges… Read More …