#FreeEducationNa caravan held in Zambo, ARMM island provs
Local News • 02:51 AM Wed Mar 14, 2018
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By:
April Piquero/NDU-BaComm3
More than 1,000 participants coming from
Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and Zamboanga attended the first leg of the
Nationwide Information Caravan for Republic Act 10931 also known as the
Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act of 2017.
This year marks the start of
implementation of the legislative milestone nationwide which is why the
CHED-UniFAST held the #FreeEducationNa.
The caravan headed by the Commission on
Higher on Education Regional Office IX and ARMM with the Unified Student
Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) started on March 5
at the Palacio Del Sur, Zamboanga City. Present in the event were
representatives of different campuses and educational service unit officials,
teachers, and staff of the different schools in the island provinces of Sulu,
Basilan, Tawi-tawi and Zamboanga. Some students from the Zamboanga City State
Polytechnic College and Western Mindanao State University students were also present
and gave intermission numbers.
The caravan aims to disseminate
information about R.A. 10931’s implementing rules and regulations and to launch
a Student Financial Assistance Program (StuFAP). It also aims to coordinate the
key stakeholders and partners regarding the advocacy efforts to the Universial
Access to Quality Education Act (UAGTEA) in which the UniFAST has been given
authority for implementation.
R.A. 10931 seeks to provide adequate
funding and other mechanisms to increase the participation rate of all
socioeconomic classes in tertiary education. It also seeks to provide all
Filipinos with equal opportunity to quality tertiary education in both private
and public educational institutions, and to give priority to students who are
academically able and who come from poor families.
The four major component programs under
R.A 10931 are the Free Higher Educational benefits for students in state
universities and colleges as well as local universities and colleges, the Free
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the Tertiary Education
Subsidy. The Student Loan program for either short-term or long-term loans is
also included in the act.
Featured in the caravan was an
orientation on the implementation of Free Tuition and an orientation on the
Programs of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education. (April
Piquero/NDU-BaComm3)