CHED, UniFAST launch P103M scholarship program for future teachers

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Teacher Education Council (TEC) on Wednesday launched a P103 million scholarship program aimed at attracting more students to teaching specializations that are beset with persistent shortages.

The Teacher Education Scholarship Program (TESP), set to begin this Academic Year 2026-2027, will provide full support to 720 scholars pursuing teacher education degrees, particularly in Early Childhood Education, Values Education, and Special Needs Education.

Officials said the initiative seeks to strengthen the country’s future teaching workforce by encouraging students to enter fields where qualified educators remain in short supply.

“We cannot fix the gaps in our education system without supporting the people who hold it together – our teachers,” CHED chairperson and TEC vice chairperson Shirley Agrupis said during the signing of the memorandum of agreement on June 3.

This means the country’s education challenges cannot be addressed without investing in teachers themselves.

“This is a deliberate effort to bring top talent into the teaching profession and ensure that our schools have the skilled educators our students deserve,” she added.

The program is intended to attract high-performing students to the teaching profession and help schools gain access to qualified educators.

The agreement was signed by Agrupis, TEC Executive Director Jennie Jocson, and UniFAST Officer-in-Charge Executive Director Septon De La Cruz following the 2026 First Council Meeting in Quezon City.

Under the agreement, fund disbursements will be handled by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), while implementation will be jointly managed by the TEC and designated Centers of Excellence in Teacher Education.

Jocson said the scholarship program is designed to address long-standing shortages in specific teaching fields.

“By providing substantial incentives for specializations like early childhood, values, and special needs education, we are strategically filling critical gaps in our basic education system with competent, specialized professionals,” she said.

By encouraging students to specialize in these areas, the program aims to address shortages of qualified teachers in key sectors of basic education.

The scholarship program is provided for under Republic Act No. 11713, which seeks to attract and support high-performing students pursuing teacher education programs.

Education officials said the pilot rollout will serve as the first phase of efforts to strengthen the country’s teacher pipeline and improve the quality of future educators. — JMA, GMA News