CHED allocates ₱2 billion to 89 state-owned universities and colleges to support their shift into smart campuses

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has allocated a total of ₱2 billion to 89 state-owned universities and colleges across the country under the Bayanihan II stimulus fund to support their shift into smart campuses.

As of Thursday, 19 out of the 89 schools have formally signed a memorandum of agreement with CHED to set up flexible learning systems.

The remaining 70 schools are currently finalizing their proposals and expected to receive their grants “in two to three days,” said Prospero E. de Vera, CHED chairman.

As of Thursday, the total disbursement stands at ₱416.6 million.

De Vera stated that he is confident that CHED “will meet the June 30 deadline for the disbursement of the Bayanihan II funds.”

He also called on Congress to grant the commission additional funds under the proposed Bayanihan III to continue the smart campus initiative.

“We have started to build the foundations for smart campuses of our state universities and colleges. We have used the money allocated by Congress under Bayanihan II,” said De Vera.

CHED has also spent ₱1 billion to buy laptops for faculty members while ₱300 million was used to cover unpaid tuition and miscellaneous fees of some 50,000 students in private universities across the country.

Another ₱300 million were disbursed through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to part-time faculty members who were not paid a salary during the pandemic because of the “no teach no pay policy.”

CHED and the Department of Health (DOH) have also authorized 93 higher education institutions to conduct limited face-to-face classes as of Thursday.

The 93 schools were among the 155 that filed applications for the authority to conduct limited in-person classes.

SOURCE: Business World