The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday has pilot-tested the Free Higher Education Automated Billing System (FHE ABS) at the Mabalacat City College (MCC), which is the first in Region 3.
The FHE ABS is a web application designed to streamline the billing process for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The application allows HEIs to upload data to the Unified Student Financial Assistance System (UniFAST) for Tertiary Education and monitor the status of their billing.
Accordingly, the system aims to promote accuracy, transparency, and efficiency in the transaction process between HEIs, CHED, and UniFAST.
In an interview, UniFAST Executive Director Atty. Ryan Esteves said the MCC has been chosen among 112 LUCs for the pilot testing of the FHE ABS, citing the institution’s digitization initiatives and suitability, thus emphasizing the advantage of the automated billing system.
“This will not only provide or improve the user experience for both our billing unit and LUCs, but it will also provide the data, data analysis, and reporting. It ensures scanability, scalability, and adaptability. By automating billing tasks, the system optimizes efficiency, reduces error, and supports the home-grown success of the free higher education programs,” Esteves said.
With the implementation of the FHE ABS, the billing process becomes more prompt, which lessens human error in the database, thus expediting the distribution of budget allocations for Free Higher Education files and data.
For her part, MCC President Dr. Michelle Aguilar-Ong said that this initiative is a victory for higher education.
“We are honored. We are very proud to be the venue of this another pioneering UniFAST,” she said.
The FHE Automated Billing System is set to launch in the upcoming academic year 2023-2024 in August for the incoming first-year college students. The system is expected to expand nationwide, covering all HEIs under the umbrella of UniFAST.
Also present in the activity are UniFAST focal persons from different LUCs in Region 3 and NCR.
