4Ps beneficiaries urged to avail of gov’t education programs
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has urged the beneficiaries of its Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) who want to pursue higher education to avail of government tertiary education support programs that will assist them with their school expenses.
DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said, in a statement, that the 4Ps beneficiaries may avail of various educational assistance programs from the Commission on Higher Education including scholarships, grant-in-aid, and student loan programs.
Lopez, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said that these programs aim to enhance access to quality education for qualified beneficiaries of the country’s flagship anti-poverty program by easing the financial burden of deserving individuals aspiring to pursue higher education.
He said that these programs are offered to qualified and eligible poor households, including 4Ps beneficiaries, by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), an attached agency of CHED that unifies and harmonizes governmentfunded student financial assistance programs (StuFAPs).
Lopez said that investing in tertiary education for 4Ps beneficiaries is an investment for the future of their respective households and also a step toward achieving the goal of the 4Ps to alleviate poverty through access to free education.
Lopez emphasized that the 4Ps beneficiaries may avail of free higher education in any State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and CHED-recognized Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), pursuant to Republic Act 10931 that exempts students from paying tuition and other school fees.
If they qualify, 4Ps beneficiaries may receive a subsidy of at least P20,000 per academic year to cover their partial cost of school fees and education-related expenses.
Another program called Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) may also be an option for 4Ps beneficiaries, which may entitle them to a maximum of P15,000 grant for one academic year.
Lopez explained that the beneficiaries will be eligible for the grants under TDP if and only if they are not receiving any CHED and UniFAST education support program.
With all these programs available for qualified poor households, Lopez urged 4Ps beneficiaries to apply and avail of these programs so they can continue with their higher education with government support.
Meanwhile, DSWD-7, through the 4Ps recently provided a four-day online technical guidance to the 1,171 workforce stationed in Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor.
The technical assistance started with the department's vision, mission, and results framework, which are all the basis for the 2024 thrusts and priorities and the 4Ps scorecards.
The frameworks, enhanced guidelines, and issuances for case management, partnership development, beneficiary data management, grievance redress, program compliance verification, family development sessions, provision of cash grants, and workforce development were reviewed, clarified, and presented step-wise for easy reference.
Gemma Gabuya, 4Ps national program manager, thanked the staff for all their hard work in assessing the well-being of the 4Ps households and encouraged them to focus on improving the well-being of 4P households by looking for the right partners whose orientation is economic empowerment.