THE Commission on Higher Education (Ched) in Davao Region said it no longer has access to most of the previous beneficiaries of the scholarship program called Study Now Pay Later (SNPL), urging current beneficiaries to assure their honest commitment to the department to pay the loan.
The SNPL scholarship program of Ched mandates all private higher education institutions to let poor students get a degree and pay when they land a job two years after they graduate.
Ched-Davao Education Supervisor Doctor Evelyn Ecle, in an interview during the University Fair held at SM City Davao-Annex Thursday, July 13, said the collection of loan payments is one of the current plights being faced by the commission.
Ecle said most of the graduates of SNPL from 2010 to 2015 were no longer responsive to their notices as some already got married after graduation, changing their previous surnames. There were also those who went abroad and those who already changed their current residential addresses.
The Ched-Davao, she said, continuously send demand letters to these beneficiaries as of Thursday. Yet, most of the letters do not reach them due to the issues regarding the place of residence.
"We no longer have control over it so what we do is we report to the Commission on Audit that Ched-Davao did its best to collect the necessary payments, however, no feedbacks were received," Ecle said.
She added the commission plans to discuss the matter to the national office to assess if there are possible amendments on the provisions of the program.
Still, Ched-Davao continues to implement SNLP for school year 2017 to 2018, inviting deserving students to apply for as long as they assure to commit genuinely to pay after graduation. (BSC)