MORE than 6,000 students have qualified for the Cebu City Scholarship Program (CCSP) for the academic year 2023-2024, nearly a two percent decrease from the beneficiaries enrolled for the school year 2022-2023.
A budget of P276.1 million has been proposed for the scholarship program for the coming school year, according to Judy Concepcion Navarrete, executive director of the CCSP.
The scholarship beneficiaries who are about to enter college have taken the career pathing examination, an intelligence test for Filipino students, Navarrete said.
Navarette said the 6,034 CCSP beneficiaries represent a 100.7 percent increase from 3,005 scholars for the school year 2020-2021, a 100.5 percent increase from 3,009 scholars for the school year 2021-2022, and a 1.8 percent decrease from 6,146 scholars for the school year 2022-2023.
As for CCSP beneficiaries with honors, Navarrete said around 500 of them are enrolled for the school year 2022-2023, an increase from 440 enrolled for the school year 2021-2022.
Benefits
The qualified scholars will receive free tuition fee coverage as well as transportation and supplies allowance from the city government.
Navarrete said scholars attending private schools will get P10,000 for their tuition and P1,000 for the supplies allowance per semester.
Students from state universities and colleges (SUCs) will also receive a P2,500 allowance for supplies every semester.
SUCs do not collect tuition as mandated by Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
Navarrete further said students who graduated from mountain barangay schools will receive a P5,000 allowance for their transportation and lodging.
Requirements
Navarrete said scholars must maintain a passing grade in college to continue as beneficiaries of the program.
The scholarship program, she said, is not limited to specific courses but is based on their results on the career pathing examination.
This examination comprises three categories: Baccalaureate 1 for a five-year course, Baccalaureate 2 for a four-year course, and Ladderized Program for a two-year course consisting of four semesters.
The City Government has 22 partner universities and colleges for the scholarship program, which include Cebu Normal University, Southwestern University, Cebu Eastern College, Cebu Institute of Technology University, and the University of the Visayas.
The Cebu City College Scholarship Program started in 2010, aiming to provide financial assistance to students as they pursue higher education. (Camille Erika Butas, CNU intern)