70 ARMM college students qualify for DOST-SEI’s scholarship programs

COTABATO CITY – The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recorded the highest number of qualifiers in science scholarship programs in the region this year as 70third-yearcollege students passed the Junior Level Science Scholarship (JLSS) examination. The increase of qualifiers is almost threefold considering there were only 24 passers in the previous year. The increasing number of passers can be attributed to the region’s ‘Syensiya-bilidad’ program, Science and Technology (SandampT) ARMM Secretary Myra Mangkabung said. She explained that the initiative was aimed at developing the skills of the students who would be taking the examinations.It was designed, she added, to help the students remember and master the skills and concepts needed to pass the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) scholarship examination.TheSyensiya-bilidadprogram is a two-day comprehensive review composed of two parts – Intellective Speed and Intellective Power Test. DOST-ARMM previously administered an online review and pre-test for students in the five provinces of the region for free.The DOST-ARMM has also conducted an intensive information drive dubbed ‘Push 4 Science’ to raise awareness on DOST-SEI’s scholarship programs. We also increased the number of testing centers in the region, Sec. Mangkabung said. The JLSS covers scholarship programs of the DOST-SEI under Republic Act No. 7687, or the Science and Technology Scholarship Act of 1994 Republic Act No. 10612, or the Fast-Tracked SandampT Scholarship Act of 2013 and the Merit Scholarship Program.Qualifiers of these scholarship programs will avail themselves of two- to three-year SandampT scholarships. Those who qualified under RA 7687 and RA 10612 will be entitled to subsidy in tuition fee and other school fees, monthly living allowance, book allowance, among others, in the last two or three years of their undergraduate studies.Those who qualify under the Merit Scholarship Program will receive the same benefits except for the pro-rated monthly stipend based on the scholar’s family socio-economic status.The SandampT scholars will be required to render service to the country, preferably in their home region, for a period equivalent to the number of years they enjoyed the scholarship.The RA 7687 and Merit scholars are expected to work on their fields of specialization while those under RA 10612 will serve as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics teachers in any public, or private high school in the country.They are allowed to teach even without the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) eligibility but they have to pass the LET within five years from the date of hiring. With the continued efforts of the region, we are confident that we will produce more competent SandampT students, Sec. Mangkabung said. The new JLSS scholars will receive their scholarship incentives effective the first semester of 2018.(Bureau of Public Information)