The Teacher Education Council (TEC) and Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED-UniFAST) have partnered through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on June 3, 2026, for launching the Teacher Education Scholarship Program (TESP), which allocates ₱103.2 million in financial assistance for the School Year 2026 to 2027 for aspiring teachers.

Up to 720 students are expected to benefit from the financial assistance to pursue degrees related to education.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara considers the scholarship as a good investment for future educators.

“A scholarship for a future teacher is one of the highest-return investments a country can make. One teacher can influence hundreds of learners throughout a career. The impact multiplies across generations,” he said

According to DepEd, the TESP is the initiative of  TEC under RA 11713 or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, wherein Angara is one of the co-authors.

“Isa si Angara sa mga naging co-author ng panukalang batas noong siya ay nasa Senado pa bago ito tuluyang naging batas noong Abril 2022,” the DepEd said

[“Angara is one of the co-authors of the bill when he was in the Senate before enacted as law in April 2022.”]

DepEd also clarified that the initial phase of the scholarship program will prioritize three key specializations: Early Childhood Education, Values Education, and Special Needs Education.