The Department of Transportation said it has allotted an additional P100 million this year to fund its Tsuper Iskolar Program in a bid to support public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and operators.
An initiative between the DOTr and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in cooperation with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Office of the Transportation Cooperatives (OTC), the Tsuper Iskolar program is in line with the Stakeholders’ Support Mechanism Component of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
The Tsuper Iskolar aims to provide participating PUV drivers, conductors, and their family members with free skills training, skills assessment, and entrepreneurship training. Participants in the program are given a daily stipend of P350 for the duration of their training under TESDA.
The additional P100 million will accommodate 4,000 beneficiaries for the Tsuper Iskolar Program.
Some 17,284 PUV drivers and operators have since graduated from the TESDA training, while 2,778 are currently enrolled. There are still 804 slots available for the program beneficiaries.
“We are very happy that many drivers, operators, and their relatives have graduated under the Tsuper Iskolar Program,” Tugade said.