The Senate on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to improve the implementation of the country’s free tertiary education law by expanding subsidies, widening access for disadvantaged students, and requiring stronger monitoring of the program.
Senate Bill No. 1894, under Committee Report No. 31, proposes amendments to Republic Act No. 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
The measure, sponsored by Senator Loren Legarda, aims to make financial assistance more responsive to the actual needs of students, particularly those from low-income households and vulnerable sectors.
Under the bill, students from households covered by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) who complete secondary education will automatically qualify for Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) grants once admitted to a higher education institution recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) or a technical-vocational institution recognized by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The proposed amendments also expand the definition of “other school fees” to include clinical internship and Related Learning Experience (RLE) fees required in nursing and allied health programs.
The bill broadens the coverage of learners considered to be from disadvantaged backgrounds. These include persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, learners under foster care, children at risk and in conflict with the law, solo parents and their dependents, students from 4Ps households, first-generation tertiary education learners, and those from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
The proposed measure also seeks to expand TES coverage to include allowances for books, transportation, room and board, disability-related expenses, laptop or computer purchases, and professional licensure-related costs.
Students taking nursing and allied health programs in private higher education institutions may also receive additional subsidies for clinical internship and RLE fees.
To ensure that the assistance keeps pace with rising education costs, the bill mandates the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education in the Philippines (UniFAST) Board to review and adjust TES grant amounts every two years in consultation with concerned agencies.
The measure also requires CHED, TESDA, and UniFAST to submit annual reports to Congress on the number of beneficiaries, subsidy use, retention and completion rates, graduate outcomes, and projected funding requirements.
Senators said the amendments are intended to strengthen the free tertiary education program by ensuring that financial aid reaches students who need it most and by improving accountability in the use of public funds.