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ILIGAN CITY—Close to 34,000 indigent students have benefited from the educational assistance program of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
According to a statement from the BARMM’s Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), the beneficiaries are those from kindergarten up to college and have totaled 33,891 as of Monday, Aug. 22.
Called the “Angat Bangsamoro: Kabataan Tungo sa Karunungan” (ABaKa), the program is implemented by MSSD and targets those from indigent families.
It has been ongoing since 2020, funded through the regular budget of the BARMM.
A family can have up to two members availing of the assistance. Those who are enrolled in the 4Ps program are not eligible for aid under ABaKa.
In 2020 and 2021, MSSD gave one-time annual aid of P1,000 for those in kindergarten and elementary, P1,500 for junior and senior high school, and P10,000 for technical-vocational and college.
In 2022, the amount was increased to P2,000 for kindergarten and elementary and P3,000 for junior and senior high school.
Applications to the program can be lodged with the MSSD municipal field offices, which personnel also evaluate the prospective beneficiaries using a point system.
MSSD personnel will look into the families’ financial status and needs regarding sending children to school, vulnerability, and academic performance of the student applying for the subsidy.
The program gives priority to those who come from vulnerable and low-income families, working students, enrollees in state-run schools, enrollees in private schools on a tuition scholarship due to financial inability, members of a household affected by armed conflict, and calamity, and those deported into the country.
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