P500-M RLE assistance benefits over 20K nursing, health students

Approximately 20,000 nursing and allied health students will receive financial relief for their required clinical training under a P500-million allocation in the 2026 national budget, Senator Bam Aquino announced Sunday.

The funding, secured under the Higher Education Development Program, is specifically earmarked for Related Learning Experience (RLE) — a mandatory on-the-job training component for health care degrees that often carries high out-of-pocket costs for students.

During a meeting with nursing students in Cebu City, Aquino said the scholarship will provide up to P20,000 per semester to eligible individuals.

“We were able to include in the budget a P500 million scholarship specifically for RLE,” Aquino said. “I think there are around 100,000 nursing students in the Philippines, so one-fifth can receive assistance.”

The senator cited that the initiative was born from consultations with students during his 2025 campaign, where many raised concerns that the cost of clinical rotations was becoming a barrier to graduation.

Meantime, the Commission on Higher Education is expected to issue guidelines prioritizing underprivileged students.

In addition to the budget allocation, the lawmaker has filed Senate Bill No. 123, which seeks to make RLE free for students in state and local universities. The bill also proposes allowing nursing students in private institutions to apply for the Tertiary Education Subsidy to cover these training expenses.

The measure comes as the Philippines continues to grapple with a chronic shortage of nurses and health care professionals, many of whom cite the high cost of education as a primary challenge.

“A lot of our laws, when we consult and talk to the people we want to help, we gain insights that shape these measures,” said the senator.