Friday, November 07, 2008 City distributes cash to indigent students
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- About 333 high school and college students from this capital city were the beneficiaries of the scholarship program for indigents last Wednesday.
Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, along with Vice Mayor Edwin Santiago and city councilors, led the distribution of the Scholarship in Education for Empowerment and Development (Seed) voucher certificates at the Plaza Vidal de Arrozal in the City Hall.
"These beneficiaries today are an addition to the already existing scholars of the city. Most of them are deserving students and are academic achievers, with this grant in place we could be assured that most of them could enroll for the coming semester," Rodriguez said.
The Seed program entitles beneficiaries to an instant financial assistance at the start of a school term. Beneficiaries in the high school level received assistance of P2,000 each while those in college taking up four-year courses are entitled to a P5,000 assistance.
However, Rodriguez explained that the assistance is not an ordinary dole-out since students are required to maintain a specific grade requirement to be able to qualify for the assistance program. Students must not incur failing marks and grades below 80 to be able to continue with the program.
"Students must have their own sense of self-respect and this could be well manifested if they study well and pursue their dreams to succeed," Rodriguez stressed.
He told beneficiaries and guests that the program was an answer to the growing problem of students that are unable to pursue further schooling due to poverty. Aside from the initial distribution Wednesday, Rodriguez revealed that the City Council has appropriated P8 million for the program.
The city mayor stressed that due to the sheer number of students who are unable to pursue their schooling, the City Council is now expediting the plans for the setting up of a community college here.
The community college would be officially funded by the city and would offer technical-vocational and four-year courses. This, according to Rodriguez, is the best solution they see to solve the city's problems in education assistance.
"We are still working on the official charter of the community college as well as the plan to set up night extension classes for particular college courses in coordination with the Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trades (DHVCAT)," Rodriguez said.
Earlier, City Administrator Ferdinand Caylao placed the initial budget for the community college at P60 million.
The recipients were all pleased with their grants saying "it has enabled them to pursue their dreams and aspirations for a better life ahead of them."
A scholar, who has been under the program since high school and who is college now, was profuse in thanking Rodriguez for sustaining his scholarship which he said "is a big help to our family since we can hardly afford the rising cost of education these days."
A parent of a scholar who received the grant in behalf of his daughter who was at school attending her classes said "This program of the city is really huge relief for the poor. Thank you very much, Mayor Oca!"
"My advice to them is to make good in their studies since education is wealth and a bridge to progress," Rodriguez added. (IOF/JTD)
