The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Wednesday defended the usage of a P10 billion value of funds, supposedly for the scholarships of tertiary college students, which Northern Samar 1st district Representative Paul Daza claimed was being misused.
In a press release, CHED chairman Prospero de Vera III pressured that the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF) was put within the CHED constitution to fund tasks to “strengthen higher education.”
“It is not a scholarship fund. I do not know where the idea of a P10B scholarship fund came from,” he mentioned in a press release.
He was reacting to Daza’s allegations in a House Committee on Higher and Technical Education listening to on Monday that the P10 billion was getting used for different functions.
That time, the committee was discussing Daza’s House Resolution No. 767 which requires the federal government to enhance entry to tertiary training and cut back attrition charges amongst 4Ps beneficiaries and different deserving and financially challenged college students by rising the price range allocation for scholarships.
“The earmarked funds is what we call an off-budget. By law travel tax, PRC, and PCSO shares go to that fund. That’s supposed to be for higher education. If CHED did its job and engaged DSWD and if they continue the 2012 grant-in-aid which was incorporated in the law, they could have helped a few hundred thousand students a year,” Daza mentioned.
“Nandon po ‘yung pondo [The funds were there]. They were using part of it. They could’ve answered that these funds were available, but they didn’t… They were using it for other pet projects that I think is probably being misused and that’s what I want to ask CHED and UniFAST,” he added.
De Vera additionally cited the Tourism Act of 2009 which states that the usage of journey tax contributions, which is the largest bulk of the HEDF fund, “should prioritize tourism related projects and courses.” This legislation additional requires the Department of Tourism and CHED to work collectively within the regulation and improvement of undergraduate and graduate levels in tourism.
With this, De Vera mentioned that the HEDF offers grants for tourism associated tasks; and grants to HEIs for tools and services in precedence packages to assist them adjust to high quality assurance requirements to get Certificates of Program Compliance or required in conversion from state schools to universities.
He additionally mentioned that the HEDF is getting used to implement legal guidelines handed by Congress that aren’t funded within the National Expenditure Program or General Appropriations Act, like Okay-12 graduate scholarship or analysis packages, and tools for medical colleges.
“Accusing CHED of misusing public funds is a very serious allegation. We reiterate that HEDF funds are used consistent with the CHED law and Tourism Act, and grants to HEIs have been provided since the past administrations,” De Vera mentioned.
Baguio City Representative Mark Go on Monday mentioned the committee will name for one more listening to to debate the matter.—LDF, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
