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The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Teacher Education Council (TEC) have launched a P103-million scholarship program aimed at attracting more students to teaching specializations facing persistent shortages in the country’s education system.
The Teacher Education Scholarship Program (TESP), set to begin in Academic Year 2026–2027, will provide full support to 720 scholars pursuing teacher education degrees, particularly in Early Childhood Education, Values Education, and Special Needs Education.
Officials said the initiative seeks to strengthen the country’s future teaching workforce by encouraging students to enter fields where qualified educators remain in short supply.
“We cannot fix the gaps in our education system without supporting the people who hold it together—our teachers,” CHED Chairperson and TEC Vice Chairperson Shirley Agrupis said during the signing of the memorandum of agreement on June 3.
“This is a deliberate effort to bring top talent into the teaching profession and ensure that our schools have the skilled educators our students deserve,” she added.
The agreement was signed by Agrupis, TEC Executive Director Jennie Jocson, and UniFAST Officer-in-Charge Executive Director Septon De La Cruz following the 2026 First Council Meeting in Quezon City.
Under the agreement, fund disbursement will be handled by the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), while implementation will be jointly managed by the TEC and designated Centers of Excellence in Teacher Education.
Jocson said the scholarship program was designed to address long-standing shortages in specific teaching fields.
“By providing 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,” she said.
The scholarship program is provided for under Republic Act No. 11713, which seeks to attract and support high-performing students pursuing teacher education programs.
Education officials said the pilot rollout will serve as the first phase of efforts to strengthen the country’s teacher pipeline and improve the quality of future educators.—MCG, GMA News
