CHED, ARMM to implement scholarship thrust with bigger budget

COTABATO CITY, Philippines -— The Commission on Higher Education and the executive department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will jointly implement starting June 2014 CHED’s scholarship thrusts with a bigger budget.

Amihilda Sangcopan, chief of staff of the Office of the Regional Governor (ORG), said ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman has initially allocated P5 million to start with the comprehensive scholarship project dubbed “Iskolar,” which aims to help poor, but academically-qualified students from across the region.

Sangcopan said CHED-ARMM and Hataman’s office will jointly implement the scholarship project, which is an expansion of the commission’s regular educational assistance thrusts.

There are 337 scholars presently studying in different schools with the help of CHED-ARMM.

Sangcopan said the Iskolar program is in line with the regional government’s “Kalusugan, Karunungan at Kabuhayan Handog ng ARMM” good governance advocacy.

The ORG and CHED aims to have the Iskolar fully operational by the start of school year 2014-2015.

Sangcopan said Hataman is open to any increase in the ORG’s funding for the program.

“The P5 million the governor committed is just an initial grant. It can be increased as the project goes on,” Sangcopan said.

Sangcopan said a qualifying examination for scholarship grants will be administered on October 19, 2013 in designated testing centers across the autonomous region.

Sangcopan said the scholarship program is open to children of members of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

“Education is very important. It can build a strong community of peace-loving people,” Sangcopan said.