BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance establishing a scholarship program for deserving students of the city and appropriating an initial amount of P10 million as scholarship fund which shall be included every year thereafter in the executive budget of the local government.
The ordinance authored by Councilors Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. and Levey Lloyd B. Orcales stated that it will be a declared policy of the local government to provide the less fortunate but deserving ad qualified students residing within the city to pursue education to have them globally competitive.
The ordinance is aimed at opening opportunities to qualify for education, promoting the advancement of science and technology towards highly technical and skilled courses needed by the city and providing the city with graduates to promote sustainable and suitable programs for the city residents.
Under the proposed ordinance, the scholarship program shall be implemented by the Office of the City mayor wherein the grantees shall be enrolled in courses such as foreign service, tourism, hotel and restaurant management; urban and regional planning; urban economics; urban sociology; social work and community development; child development; public health; public order and safety; environmental science; engineering; information and communication technology and accountancy.
The ordinance will create a scholarship screening committee tasked to scree and evaluate applicants and submit recommendations to the City Mayor for approval.
Among the minimum qualifications of beneficiaries to the city’s scholarship program include the fact that the grantee has been a resident of the city for at least 15 years from the opening of the period of availment as evidenced by duly issued government identification card; the grantee is a graduate of any public or private school located in the city; the grantee is entering as freshman of the selected course; the grantee will only in enroll in one of the universities or educational institution offering specialized courses identified by the city scholarship screening committee and the grantee will only enroll in the courses that were previously identified.
The ordinance emphasized that only a single member of the family can avail of the grant within a schoolyear and a first-time applicant.
The terms and conditions of the grant stated that he scholarship shall cover one academic year and may be renewed until the grantee shall have completed the degree unless sooner violated; the grantee shall immediately enroll in the semester following the approval of his or her application for scholarship assistance; the grantee shall carry the full semester load prescribed by the school for the particularly year level or course; courses to be taken by the grantee shall be approved by the scholarship screening committee; the grantee will be provided an amount to be determined by the committee for tuition fee and stipend per year covering the following academic schedules; the grantee shall maintain a general weighted average grade of 1.75 or its equivalent with no failing grade as a condition for renewal of grant every semester; the thesis topic shall be approved by the local government; the grantee shall finish the specialized degree for the year; the grantee shall actively participate in community and special projects and the grantee shall serve the city for 2 years after completion of the course.
By Dexter A. See
Banner photo by: MERYL PEREZ
