QUEZON CITY, Sept. 30 (PIA) - The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is addressing the reported the lack of awareness among students with disabilities on the benefits of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA) or RA 10931 in a recent webinar held during the Cerebral Palsy Awareness Week celebration.
Officer- in Charge - Executive Director for Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Atty. Ryan L. Estevez said his team are working on intensifying information dissemination of the UAQTEA programs after seeing reports on the small number of beneficiaries in Academic Year (AY) 2019-2020. For instance there are only 10 students in NCR, 0 in Ilocos, 3 in CAR, 2 in BARMM. CHED is also forging partnership with the National Council on Disability Affairs through a Memorandum of Agreement that would establish a Disability Section in the offices of UniFAST.
During the webinar, Estevez highlighted the benefits of the UAQTEA to both abled and differenlty-abled students (persons with disabilities), as follows:
1. FREE HIGHER EDUCATION in the state universities and colleges (SUCs) and CHED-recognized local universities and colleges (LUCs) --exempts students from paying tuition and 13 other school fees (e.g. admission, athletic, computer, cultural, development, entrance, guidance, handbook, laboratory, library, medical/dental, registration, and school ID fees).
2. FREE TECHNICAL-VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING -- exempts learners from paying fees in state-run technical-vocational institutions
3. STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM -- offers short and long term loans to support tertiary education including graduate programs such as medicine and law
4. TERTIARY EDUCATION SUBSIDY to support at least the partial cost of tertiary education (inclusive in cities/towns without state or local universities and colleges):
a. Tuition and other school fees
b. Education-related expenses (i.e. books, supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses including a reasonable allowance for the documented rental or purchase of a personal computer/laptop)
c. An allowance for room and board costs incurred by the student
d. For students with disabilities, an allowance for disability-related expenses including special services, personal assistance, transportation, equipment, and supplies that are reasonably incurred
e. An additional benefit (if applicable): Licensure exam (one-time maximum reimbursement of P10,000)
For more information, visit http://www.unifast.gov.ph/ or email UniFAST through askunifast@ched.gov. ph or unifastsecretariat@ched.gov. ph (MCG/PIA-IDPD/UniFAST)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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