The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is warning higher education institutions (HEIs), students and their parents, against individuals and/or groups representing themselves as officials and personnel of the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST).
UniFAST is an attached agency of CHED and the primary implementer of Free Higher Education (FHE) and the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program under Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education law.
CHED recently received a formal complaint from a certain group of school against individuals offering a deal with other institutions to facilitate their “UniFAST accreditation” in order to receive benefits from TES.
The said individuals allegedly held a ceremonial awarding of UniFAST certificates of accreditation to other member schools using an unofficial UniFAST letterhead and logo without the consent or knowledge of the UniFAST Secretariat.
The scam alert comes as the new Academic Year 2021-2022 approaches and most students and their families are eager to seek applications for scholarships or any financial aid available just to support their college education during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These posers trying to coax other schools to be accredited in the TES program are not even HEIs but members of one of the secondary school group branches, so they have no business with CHED. Let us be wary and do a fact-check especially when there’s payment involved and a promise of guaranteed TES slots to its students,” said CHED and UniFAST Board Chairman Popoy De Vera.
De Vera stressed that all transactions are done through the HEIs and CHED offices. There are no groups or organizations authorized by CHED to recruit or process papers of students.
UniFAST OIC-Executive Director Ryan Estevez is already investigating the matter and has already corresponded with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in confirming the identities mentioned in the complaint and confirming that they are NOT in any way affiliated with CHED or UniFAST.
“We ask our HEIs to help us disseminate the correct information about the TES program so that our students are always guided on the proper processes for TES inclusion,” added De Vera..
The TES is a grant-in aid program funded by the national government that follows a prioritization scheme in its selection of qualified TES grantees from public universities and colleges, and private HEIs with an existing memorandum of agreement with CHED and UniFAST to implement the TES program.
The call for TES application in AY 2021-2022 will soon be announced on the official websites and verified social media accounts of CHED and UniFAST.
