4 universities to offer scholarships to Rohingya refugees

MANILA, Philippines — Four educational institutions in the Philippines will grant scholarships to Rohingya refugees under a program that provides a safe and regulated avenue of stay in the country through education, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Sunday. 

San Beda University in Manila, St. Louis University in Baguio City, Tarlac State University, and the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod committed to joining the Complementary Pathways (CPath) program, which seeks to strengthen the skills and self-reliance capacities of Rohingya refugees and give them tools to build better futures for themselves and their communities.

Scholars under the CPath program are recognized as refugees by the Philippine government, and provided legal status and protection services for the duration of their enrollment.

Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo, UNHCR Philippines head, expressed gratitude to the four universities “for standing in solidarity with Rohingya refugees.”

“With their help, another batch of Rohingya youth will soon be able to receive protection and education services in the country,” she said. 

In September 2022, the Philippines welcomed the first batch of CPath scholars—six Rohingya refugees—who have since adjusted well in their new communities and schools. 

The UNHCR and the Department of Justice signed an agreement last year with Columban College, Inc. to allow young Rohingya to enroll at the educational institution. 

The Philippines first pledged to create complementary solutions for refugees during the Global Refugee Forum in 2019. The CPath program was institutionalized three years later.

Most Rohingya fled a military-led crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017. The Rohingya are widely viewed in Myanmar as interlopers from neighboring Bangladesh, despite roots in the country dating back centuries, and are rendered stateless after Myanmar ceased recognizing their citizenship in 2015.