MANILA — Some 292,000 college students are set to receive stipends from government, which they can use to shoulder school fees for the coming academic year, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said late Sunday.

The CHED and the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education are releasing Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) stipends to 292,438 beneficiaries studying in both public and private higher education institutions, the commission said in a statement.

CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera III said he instructed all colleges and universities to fast track the distribution of the subsidy so more students can attend the coming academic year, which will see a shift from classroom education to flexible learning.

"We know that the students need this badly during the pandemic," De Vera said.

According to the CHED, the following are expected to receive their TES:
• 3,529 Expanded Students’ Grants-in-Aid Program for Poverty Alleviation (ESGP-PA) beneficiaries (1st semester)
• 44,224 new grantees in public HEIs (1st semester)
• 97,173 continuing private HEIs grantees (1st semester and part of 2nd semester)
• 147,512 continuing Tulong Dunong Program beneficiaries (1st and 2nd semester)

The new batch of stipends comes after the Department of Budget and Management recently downloaded P6 billion to the CHED, the commission said.

Last May 15, 120,798 students from 404 colleges and universities nationwide received their TES for the first semester of Academic Year 2019 to 2020.

• Gov't releases P3.6 billion stipend for college students

Colleges and universities can start their school year depending on their learning delivery mode.

Higher education institutions using full online education were allowed to open any time after May 31, while those with flexible learning can start in August.

Schools using significant face-to-face mode can open in September, according to the CHED.

• Colleges, universities with flexible learning can start classes in August: CHED