Tesda: 230,000 scholarship slots may be cut in 2027 due to budget slash

ILIGAN CITY — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) warned that some 230,000 scholarship slots will not be available next year due to a cut in the agency’s proposed 2027 budget.Tesda Secretary Francisco “Kiko” Benitez said the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which the Office of the President submitted to Congress, provided a budget of P20.9 billion—46 percent lower than the agency’s P39 billion budget proposal.

READ: Marcos: P19-B Tesda fund to expand skills trainingThe agency’s P20.9 billion budget allocation in the 2027 NEP is 20 percent lower than Tesda’s 2026 budget of P26 billion.Benitez, who led the oath-taking of the newly elected officers of the Lanao del Norte Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Alumni Association here on Sunday, said the proposed budget cut could reduce TESDA’s scholarship slots next year to just 400,000.This year, Tesda has about 630,000 scholars, he pointed out.“Kung ma-reduce ang budget ng Tesda for fiscal year 2027, mag-decrease ang number of scholarship slots that we can serve (If Tesda’s budget for fiscal year 2027 is reduced, the number of scholarship slots we can offer will also decrease),” Benitez said.

Diploma programs“The ones that will be affected are our diploma programs. The higher-level programs that we worked hard to expand are the ones that will have insufficient funding,” he added.Benitez said Tesda had appealed to both the Senate and the House of Representatives to increase its funding for 2027, particularly for diploma programs dubbed “Universal Access to Tertiary Education.”During his visit, Benitez listened to the concerns of TVET stakeholders, and discussed ways to move forward. He said the TVET alumni could play an important role in linking skills training with employment opportunities.“They can contribute greatly. They understand the value of TVET education. They understand where our industries are looking for skilled workers,” Benitez said.He said the alumni could also help fresh TVET graduates find suitable employment.Benitez also discussed Tesda’s partnership with local government units (LGU), the Special Training for Employment Program (STEP), a community-based livelihood training initiative often conducted in barangays.He cited the Train Lokal (Local Opportunities for Knowledge Access and Lifelong Learning) program as another mechanism to strengthen Tesda-LGU partnerships in labor market intelligence, workforce development planning and the delivery of localized skills training.Norayah Acas, TESDA Lanao del Norte provincial director, said local TVET stakeholders remain active in supporting skills development programs.“Here in Lanao del Norte and Iligan City, our TVET stakeholders are active, vibrant and continuously evolving,” Acas said.“We are fortunate to have leaders and partners who recognize the importance of skills development and who actively support TESDA’s programs and initiatives,” she added.Iligan Mayor Frederick Siao said the city government allocated P10 million from the Local School Board to support TESDA programs in the locality, noting the assistance benefits poor but deserving residents interested in acquiring new skills. /jpv