Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
Indigent college students will receive over P3.7 billion from the government to support their needs in finishing their degrees, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said they have allocated the budget to around 247,135 student grantees under the Tulong Dunong program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“This scholarship program is a huge help for our dear students, especially those who are having financial difficulty or simply cannot afford to go to college,” Pangandaman said.
“Providing necessary funds for programs like this gives them a fighting chance to complete their degrees and ultimately give them a better future. As what President Bongbong Marcos said, sa Bagong Pilipinas, dapat ay walang Pilipinong maiiwan,” she added.
The budget chief approved the release of the special allotment release order on April 15.
The budget will benefit student beneficiaries enrolled under CHED-recognized public and private higher education institutions to aid their financial needs in tertiary education for the second semester of the academic year (AY) 2023-2024 and the first semester of AY 2024-2025.
The Tulong Dunong program is part of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education – Tertiary Education Subsidy.
For this year, the education sector was allotted a total of P924.7 billion, equivalent to 16 percent of the P5.768 trillion 2024 budget plan.
The government allocated P27.2 billion for the Free Higher Education program to cover tuition and other school fees of students in state universities and colleges and CHED-recognized local universities and colleges. — Xander Dave Ceballos
*****
Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph
