OPINION|Scholarships: The Underprivileged's Salva Vida

UnorthoROX Viewpoint

Roxan Resuello

Scholarships: The Underprivileged's Salva Vida

A child deprived of education is a child deprived of a future. Dr. Jose Rizal once said, "Without education and liberty, which are the soil and the sun of man, no reform is possible, no measure can give the result desired."

Among the many important foundations of a country is a nation propelled by a well-rounded education---an education where every child is handed an opportunity to explore and acquire sufficient knowledge for their future. Education is often regarded as Filipinos' main stepping stone out of poverty, and more often than not, most people associate getting a degree with the pinnacle of their life's journey.

In a developing country where job qualifications get a notch higher each year, surely enough, earning a degree would become someone's priority to keep up with the working industry's standards. Over the years, the Philippines have gone through immeasurable lengths to make education accessible for its constituents.

A handful of papers have been passed to make laws, such as the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, to be approved, allowing Filipinos to attend college for free in SUCs, LUCs, and State-Run Tech-Voc Institutions. The Free Tertiary Education being passed is one huge step in giving every Filipino a proper educational background. It is estimated that 2.46 million students have benefitted from the program during the A.Y 2021-2022.

Although Free Tertiary Education exists, some may still find going to college quite expensive, and some may even see it as a luxury that only the privileged among the underprivileged can do. True enough, with the current state of our economy, miscellaneous expenses and other school fees would still be a punch in the gut for someone who comes from a family that only has enough to survive a whole day. More so, the increasing rates of people going under the poverty line make it understandable for people to look at the chance to education in this way.

SCHOLARSHIPS KEEPING SCHOLARS AFLOAT

Scholarships are deemed as a saving grace for those who are marginalized and in need of assistance to continue attending school. In one way or another, knowing that you have scholarship assistance that you can depend on makes it easier for you to focus on your studies.

Scholarships and financial assistance grants for deserving and poor students have been on a roll for quite some years to help students finance other expenses in their educational journey. Some of these include government-funded scholarship programs from institutions such as DOST and CHED, to mention a few.

Often ranging from Php 7,500 to Php 30,000 per semester (CHED) and Php 7,000 monthly stipend, among others (DOST), these scholarship grants go a long way in building a bright future for those who come from families deprived of a stable source of income. Scholarships such as these help in countless ways in alleviating the burden of expenses that comes with studying and taking away a portion of the sufferings that parents and working students have to endure.

ON GRANTS RECEIVED AND GRANTS DELAYED

It is without a doubt that scholarships are a revolutionary opportunity that not all in need can avail. As a UniFAST-TDP scholar, my words are proof of how much of a necessity these types of financial grants are, especially for a medical-inclined student who needs quite a sum of money for laboratory equipment and other study materials. In my three years of experience being a beneficiary of the program, the grants were often never given during the semester it was supposed to cover. As per the Notice of Award, each grantee is entitled to Php 7,500 per semester from A.Y 20202021 to A.Y 2024-2025. However, the first grant for A.Y 2020-2021 was given one academic year late on November 2021, and the grant for the second semester of the same A.Y was issued on April 2022. The most recent stipend release was on November 2022, covering the 1st and 2nd semesters of the A.Y 2021-2022. In this series of distributions, we see a pattern of delay that dates one year behind schedule.

In August 2022, Senator Risa Hontiveros sought CHED's attention as she filed a resolution for a Senate investigation regarding delays in the release of scholarship assistance and a certain Php 7 billion fund irregularities under UniFAST. In a press release, CHED addressed Hontiveros' claim saying that they have already reached with COA regarding the "questionable releases" and have answered squarely. CHED remains firm on its transparency and accountability and assures that RA 10931 is being implemented properly.

Amid the issue, a hashtag campaign surfaced in social media seeking support from scholars with an #IStandWithCHEDUniFAST and #PinaSkolarAko trend. The move ultimately went sideways and gained mixed reactions as statements from different people clashed with one another.

The call for probe is far from over as the Senator is adamant with her stand and is stiffed in giving the students what is due for them. In a Facebook post on September 28, 2022, Sen. Hontiveros writes, "The resolution we filed appears to have opened a can of worms, and every day they look away and gaslight our scholars, we get more complaints."

In a nation where education is revered most highly, it is unbearable to see scholars deprived of the assistance they so much deserve and need. No matter the reason behind the delays, may it be inefficient billings and processes or a classic corruptive display of thievery; nonetheless, this issue proves that the Philippines, as a government, has so much more to fix. The disrespect among student scholars, who they call the nation's future, shows how dilapidated the structural integrity of the institutions that represent the country as a whole.

To report cases of anomalies involving CHED scholarships, send an email to youth@senrisahontiveros.com.