03/06/2026
JOINT PRESS RELEASE
CHED-UNIFAST-TEC
June 3, 2026
CHED-UNIFAST, TEC partner for P103-M Teacher Education Scholarship Program
QUEZON CITY โ In a major stride toward upgrading the caliber of the nation's teaching force, the Commission on Higher Education - Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (CHED-UniFAST) and the Teacher Education Council (TEC) have officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to roll out the Teacher Education Scholarship Program (TESP).
Led by CHED Chairperson and TEC Vice-Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, TEC Secretariat Executive Director Dr. Jennie V. Jocson, and UniFAST Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Executive Director Septon A. De La Cruz, the signing ceremony took place at the PRC-NCR Office in Quezon City on June 3, immediately after the 2026 First Council Meeting.
โWe cannot fix the gaps in our education system without supporting the people who hold it togetherโour teachers,โ said CHED Chairperson Agrupis. โThis is a deliberate effort to bring top talent into the teaching profession and ensure that our schools have the skilled educators our students deserve.โ
For its pilot rollout starting Academic Year 2026-2027, the program has been granted a total fund allocation of P103 million to fully support 720 scholars. Under the newly signed agreement, the fund disbursement will be managed by CHED-UniFAST, while the programโs operational ex*****on will be co-managed by TEC alongside designated Centers of Excellence (COEs) in Teacher Education.
TESP will provide targeted incentives and support to strengthen teacher specializations with urgent needs, namely, Early Childhood Education, Values Education, and Special Needs Education. The scholarship guidelines were formalized under TEC Circular No. 1, Series of 2026.
TEC Secretariat Executive Director Jocson emphasized that the program directly targets long-standing institutional shortages. โBy 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.โ
Envisioned in Republic Act No. 11713, also known as the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, the TESP is strategically designed to attract, encourage, and support top-tier students pursuing programs in Teacher Education.