The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has been urged to allocate more development funds to private higher education institutions (HEIs) and to prioritize the "poorest" students in its college subsidy program.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) highlighted the need for a "balanced" allocation of CHEd's Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF) between private and public HEIs.

EDCOM 2 data revealed a "disproportionate percentage" of the HEDF allocated to public schools, with 96 percent going to public HEIs and only four percent to private HEIs, even though "86 percent of HEIs in the country are private."

According to EDCOM 2 data from 2018 to 2023, the share of HEDF allocated to public HEIs increased from 77 to 96 percent, while the share allocated to private HEIs decreased from 23 to four percent.

The HEDF was established through RA 7722, which also created CHEd in 1994, exclusively for the strengthening of higher education nationwide. This establishment of HEDF was in line with the recommendations of the first Education Commission, which defined its purpose as supporting "faculty development, scholarships for deserving but financially challenged students, and improvements to libraries and laboratories."

It was also clarified that the HEDF was intended for both public and private HEIs, taking into account that, at that time, 85 percent of HEIs were private institutions.

Prioritizing the poorest students

Meanwhile, EDCOM 2 also urged CHEd to ensure that the poorest students receive the highest priority in the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program.

Since 2018, EDCOM 2 pointed out that the share of the poorest scholars under the TES program has continuously declined, leading to a dwindling share of the poorest TES grantees.

The TES is a subsidy established to support all Filipino students enrolling in undergraduate programs at State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs), and private HEIs, as per Republic Act 10931, or the "Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education."

TES grantees categorized under "Listahanan" are the neediest students, determined based on the Department of Social Welfare and Development's National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction, or Listahanan 2.0, and ranked according to their estimated per capita household income.

Meanwhile, TES grantees under the "PNSL" (Place with No SUC/LUC) category are those enrolled in private higher education institutions in areas without SUCs or LUCs, regardless of their need or household income. The percentage of grantees in this category steadily rose from 25.76 percent in 2018 to 69.26 percent in 2022.

EDCOM 2, established through RA 11899, is a congressional body tasked with conducting a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the Philippine education sector.

Over the next three years, EDCOM 2 will also recommend legislative measures to address the education crisis in the country.