Pantheon Holdings, together with Brian Poe-Llamanzares has chosen to invest in the scholarship-matching platform, Windows of Opportunity (WOOP).
WOOP is a one-of-a-kind platform that makes applying for and looking for a scholarship more accessible and uncomplicated for students. They center on breaking down walls and providing channels, specifically to financially challenged but driven and hardworking Filipino students.
“This platform will hopefully help bridge the gap between those who wish to help and those in need by providing a secure platform for securing scholarships from the private sector,” Brian said.
“I believe that EdTech is key for solving a lot of our country’s education issues. We need to encourage more innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to help in nation-building through education,” he added.
Brian is a former CNN Philippines news correspondent. He also recently graduated from Columbia University with his masters in Climate and Society and is currently CEO and founder of Time Master Watches.
Financial assistance via scholarships would aid those who lack the means to access education. Through scholarships and grants, students can have a chance to reach long-term goals.
The Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 found that the Philippines has the lowest reading proficiency. This merely demonstrates the poor comprehension skills of Filipino students, who prefer "memorizing" over critical thought.
The decrease in enrollment rates has further worsened the status of the educational system. According to the Department of Education (DepEd), enrollment in state and local universities and colleges fell by 12.80 percent to 103,551 students in 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2016, UNESCO Bangkok stated that there was over 95.8 million out-of-school youth residing in Southern Asia while in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, there were over 31 million. In total, this would be over 126.8 million out of the 263 million worldwide.
Low family income is one of the reasons why students in the Philippines are unable to attend school, especially when there is a global crisis. With this in mind, WOOP was founded to help out-of-school-youth and disadvantaged students in need of financial support to complete their studies.
Through WOOP, aspiring scholars will be able to view several scholarship and grant programs from various private business sectors, local government units, organizations, and schools all in one platform for easier access and tracking.
“Building capital is one thing, but having the right investor also builds credibility and connections, providing valuable advice and guidance to our company. With the proper support, our mission of helping scholars in need can become closer to reality through a creation of a matchmaking platform.” WOOP founders Honesty and Kevin Tagioban said in a joint statement.
“We'd like to thank Pantheon Holdings for their support and belief in our company.
Their backing will allow us to reach new heights in the development of WOOP and to bring our vision to life. We at WOOP look forward to our journey together.” they added.
The WOOP scholarship provides students with free access to education rather than loans that must be returned with interest. Given the socioeconomic constraints of many Filipino households, many more qualified students would benefit from receiving a scholarship.
Finding scholarships itself would need a lot of time and can be costly. WOOP shows that there can be a simple and wider way of applying for scholarships, anywhere at any given time, which makes it faster to obtain financial support.