Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Nursing students attend physical classes at the Far Eastern University in Manila on February 23, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File



Nursing students attend physical classes at the Far Eastern University in Manila on February 23, 2022. Face-to-face classes for 3rd to 5th-year students resumed February 14 as COVID-19 cases continue to decline and authorities mull over deescalating restrictions to alert level 1 this coming March. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Sen. Bam Aquino launched a new financial assistance program aimed at helping nursing and allied health students cope with expensive clinical training requirements that officials said continue to force many students to drop out despite free tuition policies.The Allied Health Experiential Assistance for Deserving Students (AHEAD) Grant will provide a one-time P25,000 subsidy to qualified students enrolled in Related Learning Experience (RLE) programs beginning in the first semester of Academic Year 2026–2027.CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis on Thursday said the program seeks to address the growing financial strain faced by students taking allied health courses that require hospital duties, community immersion, and clinical internships.“Iyong mga clinical trainings nila in hospitals, clinics, community, rural health unit, at mga iba pa kung minsan sa mga private institution, health clinics ng private,” Agrupis said.“And in so doing, kailangan nila talaga ng pera for their accommodation, transportation, uniform most of the time ‘pag nandiyan na sila sa clinical training sa hospitals. So, dito iyong bottleneck ng mga allied health sciences natin. Nai-stop sila any time from second year to fourth year,” she added.The AHEAD grant covers students enrolled in 14 CHED-priority allied health programs, including nursing, pharmacy, midwifery, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, radiologic technology, and other medical-related disciplines.<div> </div><div>QUALIFICATION FOR THE GRANT APPLICATION</div>Agrupis said CHED estimates around 485,000 students are currently enrolled across the covered allied health programs nationwide, but the P500-million allocation for the grant can only support around 19,000 beneficiaries.“So ang unang-una is, ang qualification is, ang estudyante naka-enroll ng RLE during the first semester 2026-2027. Pangalawa, para equitable siya, ang combined income ng father and mother should not be more than 1.2 million,” she said.“So, gumawa din kami ng scheme in order to prioritize. Number one na priority is iyong mga ga-graduate na talaga. Kasi sabi ko kanina, RLE starts from second year, third year and fourth year,” she added.CHED said additional points will also be given to students belonging to priority and vulnerable sectors, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, single parents, and senior citizens.Agrupis said CHED conducted benchmarking studies among higher education institutions and found that RLE-related expenses can reach as high as P75,000 depending on the year level and training requirements.She said the subsidy may help students shoulder transportation, accommodation, uniforms, internet connectivity, and even medical supplies used during community training.<div> </div><div>BAM AQUINO PUSHES EDUCATION SUBSIDY</div>Aquino said the proposal emerged after nursing and allied health students repeatedly complained about costly RLE fees during the 2025 campaign period.“Nakipag-usap ako sa kanila, na bring up nila na itong RLE ay napakabigat nga pagdating sa gastusin ng isang estudyante, especially ng nursing at allied health students natin. It ranges from P20,000 to P80,000 per year,” he added.The senator criticized the current RLE setup, saying students already render service in hospitals while still being required to pay for training-related expenses.Aquino said the AHEAD grant was initially proposed during budget deliberations as an “RLE subsidy” while lawmakers pursue broader reforms to the tertiary education system.The senator revealed that the bicameral conference committee is set to deliberate amendments to Republic Act No. 10931, or the Free College Law, including a proposal to institutionalize RLE subsidies.“At iyong isang pinasok natin na amendment to RA 10931, iyong pag-institutionalize ng RLE subsidy. So, hopefully on Monday, kung mapasa iyong version ng Senado or matanggap iyong version ng Senado, magiging batas na rin, na pagdating sa mga subsidiya na binibigay ng gobyerno para sa kolehiyo, kasama na diyan iyong RLE or Related Learning Experience,” Aquino said.Aquino said institutionalizing the subsidy would allow Congress to gradually increase funding and expand coverage in future budget deliberations.The senator also linked the issue of expensive RLE fees to the migration of Filipino healthcare workers abroad, arguing that students often accumulate debts they cannot repay with local salaries.<div> </div><div>AQUINO NO LONGER EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR</div>Despite no longer serving as chairperson of the Senate education committee, Aquino vowed to continue pushing for education reforms and student subsidies.“Magiging mas mahirap lang, sa totoo lang, iyong mga reforma pag hindi ikaw iyong namumuno doon sa komite, pero kaya pa rin gawin ‘yan. And I believe pagdating sa edukasyon, dapat talaga hindi ito pinopolitika at lahat tayo nagtutulungan,” Aquino said.He also encouraged students to continue speaking up about gaps in education policies, saying the proposal itself originated from direct conversations with students.“Ito po hindi nanggaling sa iisang study, sa isang research, itong tulong na ito ay nangyari dahil iyong mga studyante mismo nagsalita, lumapit nagsalita at kami rin po nakinig at umaksyon,” Aquino said.CHED said the AHEAD Grant will be open to qualified students from both public and private higher education institutions offering CHED-recognized allied health programs.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Senator Bam Aquino launched a new financial assistance program aimed at helping nursing and allied health students cope with expensive clinical training requirements that officials said continue to force many students to drop out.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Senator Bam Aquino launched a new financial assistance program aimed at helping nursing and allied health students cope with expensive clinical training requirements that officials said continue to force many students to drop out.

CHED, Bam Aquino launch P25,000 AHEAD grant for nursing, allied health students

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CHED, Bam Aquino launch P25,000 AHEAD grant for nursing, allied health students

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News,

Published May 29, 2026 10:47 PM PHT

Read More:

Commission on Higher Education

CHED

Shirley Agrupis

AHEAD Grant

Educational Assistance

Bam Aquino

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