The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) provides learning opportunities not only for students, but also for teaching and non-teaching staff of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). One such opportunity is the Higher Education Upskilling and Study for Advancement of Staff and Faculty (HUSAY) program.
As the name suggests, HUSAY is a capacity-building program offered by CHED, in coordination with leading colleges and universities, both inside and outside the Philippines. In particular, this program provides fully-funded short-term courses to nominated participants. Courses focus mainly on agriculture, medicine, food science, artificial intelligence, and other vital sectors.
Program Benefits
The HUSAY program covers all the fees for nominated participants. These include tuition, training materials, transportation, accommodations, meals, insurance, and other expenses. In other words, the program is entirely free for all the chosen participants.
Eligibility
The eligibility criteria depends on the specific program being offered. Nonetheless, applicants are usually expected to:
- Hold a baccalaureate degree in a relevant discipline;
- Hold a temporary, regular, or plantilla position in the sending HEI; and
- Be physically and mentally fit to join the program.
Requirements
The list of requirements may vary per course, although generally, interested applicants need to submit a copy of their Transcript of Records (TOR), list of training/seminars attended, and other documents.
How to Sign Up
From time to time, CHED sends an official communication to HEIs, informing them about an upcoming short-term course under the HUSAY program. The schools are expected to come up with a list of nominees, who are required to fill out an online application through Google Forms. All applications are evaluated on a first-come, first served basis, before the final list of participants are released.
Past Activities/Events
Here are some of the past activities/events that CHED had facilitated through the HUSAY program:
- Halal Food Standard Compliance. This was a 10-day, short-term course held on October 30 – November 8, 2024 at Universitas Bakrie in Indonesia.
- Clinical and Laboratory Diagnosis of Emerging Fungal Infection. This was a five-day, short-term workshop conducted by the SEAMEO TropMed Network in Malaysia on November 11-15, 2024.
- Organizing Major Sports Events and Promoting Sports Tourism 2.0. This is a 15-day short-term course held on September 16-30, 2025 at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). It was attended by faculty and staff of HEIs who are designated as Sports Directors.
- Post Graduate Certificate in School-based Program for Mental Health. Also held in 2025, this program was offered by Miriam College, with the aim of promoting mental wellness and providing psychological support in schools.
- Industry-based Microcredential Pathways Toward Graduate Programs in Probiotics and Functional Foods for Sustainable Health and Nutrition (iPath-Pro). Conducted in the first quarter of 2026, this program was offered by Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) to personnel in the fields of applied biology, pharmaceutical technology, and food innovation.
Upcoming Activities/Events
Meanwhile, here are some short-term courses that will be held within 2026 and 2027:
- Bio-health Education Artificial Intelligence-enabled through Capacity-building, Optimization, and Innovation (BEACON). This is offered by the University of the Philippines – Manila.
- Strengthening the Future of Food Systems: Specialized Graduate Traiing in Food Innovation, Nutrition, and Bioprocessing. This is offered by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand.
For more information about the different short-courses available under the HUSAY program, please visit the CHED official website. Queries and concerns may also be sent via email to husay@ched.gov.ph.
Indeed, the HUSAY program enables HEI personnel to widen their knowledge and experience, especially in the fields of agriculture, food science, artificial intelligence, and medicine.
Speaking of medicine, one of CHED’s initiatives is the Medical Scholarship and Return Service (MSRS) Program for aspiring doctors. Check out this link to read all about it.