President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday announced an education subsidy for dependents of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were displaced, repatriated, or died due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“The education subsidy will be given to one college-level beneficiary from a qualified OFW enrolled or is intending to enroll in state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, and CHED (Commission on Higher Education)- recognized private higher education institutions in this school year 2020,” he said in a taped public address.
A one-time grant of PHP30,000 will be granted to 33,000 student beneficiaries, or PHP1 billion budget in total.
The subsidy is a project of the CHED and the United Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment.
Earlier in May, the President appealed to schools to offer installment payment options for OFW children.
He also ordered Land Bank of the Philippines (Land Bank) to provide a “study-now-play-later” loan to cover the tuition and other enrollment-related fees of eligible students.
