A total of 759 college students for the concluded school year 2019-2020 have not received their stipend yet due to their schools’ failure to submit billings to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). 

“The TES (Tertiary Education Subsidy) funds cannot be given to the qualified student-grantees if their respective private HEIs (higher education institutions) do not have the necessary submissions and they have been waiting [for] this financial assistance especially now that we are starting the new academic year,” said CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III said in a statement on Tuesday, August 18.

TES is a grant-in-aid program of the government to support the cost of tertiary education of Filipino students who are enrolled in public and private HEIs. 

Students can receive P60,000 per academic year if they belong to the Listahanan 2.0 of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or if they reside and study in a city or municipality where there is no existing state university or college.

CHED said that of the 264 private schools with no billings released in June, 46 have yet to submit the requirement. (READ: CHED releases P6 billion stipends for college students)

Citing the Private Education Assistance Committee, CHED said that 10 schools were working on their billing documents while 36 have been contacted but they have not replied as of this posting. 

De Vera urged these schools to submit the billings immediately at the TES Management System (TMS) portal so the students could receive their stipend.

According to CHED, its regional offices were able to download the TES grants from compliant private schools even during the community quarantine nationwide but some expressed concern over their ability to comply due to restrictions and disruptions in their normal work operations.

“The Commission is seriously concerned with the non-compliance of these HEIs. They signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with CHED to ensure that their students could be assisted by the government through RA 10931. We are now reviewing possible violations of this MoA and these HEIs may be delisted from inclusion in the programs under RA 10931,” De Vera said.

The students affected by the failure to submit billing documents are from the following schools:

• La Finn’s Scholastica (Region I)
• AMA Computer College-Angeles City (Region III)
• Aurora Polytechnic College (Region III)
• Unciano Colleges (Region IV)
• AMA Computer College-Naga City (Region V)
• Catanduanes Colleges (Region V)
• Fatima School of Science and Technology (Region V)
• R.G. De Castro Colleges (Region V)
• Mary’s Children Formation College (Region VII)
• Saint Paul College Foundation, Inc (Region VII)
• ACLC College-General Santos City (Region XII)
• Central Mindanao Colleges (Region XII)
• Lebak Family Doctors’ School of Midwifery (Region XII)
• Marbel Institute of Technical College (Region XII)
• AMA Computer College-Las Piñas (NCR)
• Asia Harvesters College and Seminary (NCR)
• Bestlink College of the Philippines (NCR)
• Centro Escolar Las Piñas, Inc (NCR)
• Christ the King College of Science and Technology (NCR)
• Datamex College of Saint Adeline-Fairview (NCR)
• Datamex College of Saint Adeline-Valenzuela (NCR)
• Febias College of Bible (NCR)
• Global Reciprocal Colleges (NCR)
• Immaculate Heart of Mary College-Parañaque (NCR)
• Informatics College-Manila (NCR)
• Interface Computer College-Manila (NCR)
• Jesus Reigns Christian College Foundation (NCR)
• Manila Business College Foundation (NCR)
• Manila Central University (NCR)
• NAMEI Polytechnic Institute (NCR)
• New England College (NCR)
• New Era University (NCR)
• Olivarez College (NCR)
• Pasig Catholic College (NCR)
• Perpetual Help College of Manila (NCR)
• Philippine Cultural College (NCR)
• PMI Colleges-Manila (NCR)
• PNTC Colleges-Manila (NCR)
• San Juan de Dios Educational Foundation (NCR)
• San Sebastian College-Recoletos (NCR)
• Southville International School and Colleges (NCR)
• St Bernadette College of Alabang, Inc (NCR)
• STI College-Recto (NCR)
• Wesleyan College of Manila (NCR)
• West Bay College (NCR)
• AMA Computer College-Baguio (CAR)

On August 12, CHED said that 424 college students might lose their scholarships due to the “pass all” policy some schools implemented during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some classes in colleges and universities are expected to start this month, using flexible learning mode. – Rappler.com