President Marcos assured Filipino families that no student should be forced to abandon their studies because of poverty, as he reaffirmed full or partial tuition fee assistance and subsidies for qualified college students nationwide.

Marcos said this as he led the awarding of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) UniFAST (Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education) scholarships and the launch of the Electronic Certification, Authentication, and Verification (E-CAV) system in Pasay City on Friday, Sept. 12.

“Walang kabataan din ang dapat maapektuhan ang pag-aaral dahil sa kahirapan (No young person should have their education disrupted because of poverty),” he said.

The President highlighted UniFAST’s role in easing the worries of parents and giving students a freer hand to focus on their studies, saying it provides full or partial tuition and school fee assistance to qualified students in state and CHED-recognized local universities and colleges nationwide.

“Hindi na nila kailangan sagutin ang halaga ng tuition (They no longer have to shoulder the cost of tuition),” he said.

“Mababawasan ang pangamba ng mga magulang at mas malaya nang makapag-aral ang ating mga estudyante (Parents’ worries will be lessened, and our students will be freer to study),” he added.

In addition, the program provides a P20,000 annual tertiary education subsidy for students in need, which may be used for tuition, transportation, books, food, and other school-related expenses.

Students with disabilities receive an additional P5,000 grant, while those enrolled in degree programs with licensure exams are eligible for reimbursement of up to P8,000.

Marcos said the long-term impact of these initiatives goes beyond individual families, pointing to the broader contribution of graduates to the economy.

“Bunga nito, inaasahan nating mas maraming mga estudyante ang mananatili sa paaralan at makakapagtapos (Because of this, we expect more students to stay in school and finish),” he said.

“Magiging mas malakas ang ating mga komunidad dahil ang mga nagtatapos bilang guro, nars, inhinyero, ay magiging haligi ng ating pag-unlad (Our communities will be stronger because graduates who become teachers, nurses, engineers will be pillars of our development),” he added.

Because of this, the President directed implementing agencies to broaden the program’s reach and ensure that its benefits are clearly explained to students and parents before each academic year begins.

“Kaya ito ang aking direktiba: Palawakin pa natin ang saklaw ng UniFAST (This is my directive: Let us expand the coverage of UniFAST),” he said.

“Tiyakin natin na malinaw ang guidelines na naipapaalam ito sa mga magulang at mag-aaral bago pa magsimula ang pasukan (Let us ensure that guidelines are clear and communicated to parents and students before the school year begins),” he added.

Marcos further instructed agencies to intensify the dissemination of accurate information about UniFAST to prevent misinformation.

The Chief Executive called on state and local universities, private higher education institutions, local governments, and other partners to continue supporting the government’s education programs.

“I also call on Congress to help us strengthen UniFAST so that we can implement it fully as intended in the letter of that law,” he said.

Marcos stressed that investing in education is investing in the country’s future workforce and long-term growth.

“Our assistance to our students proves that the returns are immeasurable when the government invests in people,” he said.

“When we strengthen education, we also strengthen our workforce and we forge a better future for our economy, for our country,” he added.