The House Committee on Higher and Technical Education, chaired by Baguio City Rep. Mark Go, approved on Tuesday six bills providing scholarships to students and teachers across various disciplines.
The measures tackled were House Bill (HB) 9539, or the proposed "Scholarship ng Humanidades at Agham Panlipunan Act of 2023"; HB 6910, establishing a social work scholarship program; HB 2624, granting postgraduate scholarships to public elementary and high school teachers; HB 2419, establishing an integrated agri-preneurs scholarship program; HB 957, establishing a national scholarship program for studies in nuclear science and engineering, and HB 5129, providing a comprehensive scholarship for students training to become forensic pathologists.
HB 9539, authored by Quezon City Rep. Marivic Co-Pilar, seeks to provide financial assistance to deserving students, particularly those with economically disadvantaged backgrounds, pursuing courses in humanities, social sciences, economics, political science, anthropology, mass communication, history, library science, legal management and law.
“Ang mga kursong kabilang sa humanidades at agham panlipunan ay madalas na hindi nabibigyan ng sapat na suporta sa kabila ng kanilang mahalagang papel sa pagbabalangkas ng kritikal na pag-iisip, pangkulturang pag-unawa, at panlipunang pagkaka-isa,” said Co-Pilar.
The bill received strong support from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
On the other hand, HB 6910, authored by Laguna Rep. Ruth Mariano-Hernandez, seeks to address the shortage of social workers in the country by providing tuition, allowances and benefits to deserving students. Beneficiaries of the social work scholarship program are obligated to work under CHED and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The committee accepted proposed amendments to the bill, including compliance requirements and prioritizing graduates from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Meanwhile, HB 2624, authored by Batangas Rep. Lianda Bolilia, shall grant postgraduate scholarships to public elementary and high school teachers in state colleges and universities. The bill consolidates HBs 559, 2231, 4697, 4993 and 5868, all of which aim to provide assistance to teachers pursuing postgraduate education.
The committee also approved, subject to amendments, HB 2419, by AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee. The Department of Agriculture (DA) expressed its support for the bill, which aims to encourage students to pursue studies in agriculture, forestry and fisheries to address the aging population of farmers in the Philippines.
Also approved were HB 957, establishing a national scholarship program for studies in nuclear science and engineering, and HB 5129, providing a comprehensive scholarship for students training to become forensic pathologists. Both bills received support from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Society of Pathologists.
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