CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) -- The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 7 urged student beneficiaries under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to avail of various government tertiary education support programs that will assist them with their educational expenses.

The beneficiaries can avail of free higher education, free technical-vocational education and training, the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), the Tulong Dunong Program (TDP), and other specialized forms of StuFAPs for tertiary education.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) offers these programs to qualified and eligible poor households, including 4Ps student beneficiaries, through the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), an attached agency of CHED that unifies and harmonizes government-funded student financial assistance programs (StuFAPs).

“These programs from CHED can help ease the financial burden of the family, especially for those students who aspire to pursue higher education,” said DSWD7 Regional Director Shalaine Lucero.

DSWD7 sent written notices through the 4Ps city and municipal links in the area to inform the 4Ps partner beneficiaries of the various educational assistance offered by UniFAST, indicating the qualifications and benefits of each program.

The 4Ps beneficiaries may coordinate with the nearest universities and colleges in their areas to avail of the program.

In Central Visayas, the state universities and colleges are the following: Bohol Island State University (BISU), Cebu Normal University (CNU), Cebu Technological University (CTU), Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), and Siquijor State College (SSC).

For more information about the various forms of educational assistance, 4Ps student beneficiaries may contact CHED via email at chedro7@ched.gov.ph or unifastro7@ched.gov.ph, on the Facebook page CHED RO 7 or by phone at (032) 414-9194. (HFG/PIA7 with reports from DSWD7)