More than 8,000 students have made it to the list of this year’s recipients of the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute’s (DOST-SEI) Science and Technology (S&T) Undergraduate Scholarships.
The DOST-SEI said of this year’s qualifiers, 3,815 were qualified under Science and Technology scholarships as provided under Republic Act No. 7687 or the “Science and Technology Scholarship Act of 1994”. The program is intended for gifted students who belong to the economically disadvantaged families.
It said the remaining 4,252 “qualified under the MERIT program.” The MERIT scholarship or the National Science and Technology Authority (NSTA) scholarship is provided under RA No. 2067 or the “Science Act of 1958.” NSTA scholarship is awarded to students with high aptitude in science and mathematics and are willing to pursue careers in the field of science and technology.
Meanwhile, the Institute noted that “2,042 names were marked with one asterisk implying some lacking documents, while names were withheld pending completion and evaluation of requirements.”
“They will receive notice of award sometime in September courtesy of DOST-SEI or the concerned DOST Regional Offices,” it said.
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DOST-SEI Director Dr. Josette T. Biyo said it took them several months before they could finally release the results, citing that “each application was meticulously validated.”
“These senior high school graduates have shown tremendous resiliency and dedication by continuing their education despite the challenges of the new way of learning. I believe that we are able to identify deserving students to our scholarship programs,” she said.
“We are happy to welcome them to the S&T community and to support them in their next chapter in the higher education level.”
Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the DOST-SEI, instead of conducting the national scholarship qualifying examination in 2020, decided to employ data analytics and proxy indicators to identify the qualifiers to the scholarship programs.
Starting June 2020, documentary requirements, including the students’ grades from Grades 9 to 11, were collected through the DOST-SEI’s E-Scholarship Application System.
The DOST-SEI said qualifiers who will avail the program are expected to receive the following benefits:
-monthly stipend of P7,000;
- a tuition fee subsidy of up to P40,000 per academic year for those who will enroll in private institutions;
-annual book allowance;
-one-time MS/PE clothing allowance;
-one economy-class roundtrip fare per year for those studying outside their home province;
-group heath and accident insurance; and
-thesis allowance
The Institute said the scholarship award takes effect in the first semester of Academic Year (AY) 2021-2022.
“To avail the scholarship, qualifiers must enroll in a priority S&T course in state universities and colleges, or in private higher education institution recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as Centers of Excellence or Centers of Development or with at least (Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines (FAAP) Level III accreditation.
For the list of priority S&T courses, qualifiers may visit SEI's website at www.sei.dost.gov.ph.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña said the scholarship programs will help boost the number of scientists and engineers needed to strengthen economic productivity and knowledge creation in the country.
“We look at scholarships as one solid way to help ensure that we are meeting the S&T human resource requirements in our country. With the increasing number of scholarship applicants and slots every year, we are hopeful that we will fill the gaps in the labor market and drive innovation across all sectors,” he said.
The orientation on the scholarship policies prior to the signing of the scholarship agreement “will happen sometime in September or October 2021,” the DOST-SEI said.
Qualifiers with lacking requirements must submit the needed documents on or before Sept. 30, 2021.
“DOST-SEI scholars are required to render service in the country, preferably along their fields of specialization, after graduation for a period equivalent to the number of years they enjoyed the scholarship.”