MANILA, Philippines — The Government Service Insurance System is taking steps to ensure that 200 scholars that it would support in the coming academic year will come from low-income families who really need the help.
Robert G. Vergara, GSIS president and general manager, said on Monday in a statement the pension fund would do away with the electronic raffle as a method of choosing the scholars.
“The GSIS board of trustees (agreed to revise) the scholarship program to ensure that our low-income members will be given the opportunity to send their children to colleges and universities that provide quality education,” Vergara said.
He said the scholars would now go through a nomination process, with the nominees required to be beneficiaries of GSIS members with a salary grade of not better than 24 or its equivalent.
“The nominee of parents with the lowest salary grades will be given priority in the scholarship grant,” Vergara said. “The nominee must be a child of the member and an incoming freshman accepted in the schools identified by the pension fund.”
The GSIS chief said the nomination for the GSIS college scholarship program has been set to open May 15.
Those who will be chosen as GSIS scholars will receive support that includes a maximum P20,000 per term for tuition and miscellaneous fees, and a monthly stipend of P2,000.
The scholar may also opt to take a four- or five-year course but must meet the scholastic requirements set by the school for student retention.
According to Vergara, the 200 slots will be distributed nationwide as follows: 60 scholars from Metro Manila, three from the Cordillera Administrative Region, nine from Ilocandia, nine from Cagayan Valley, 16 from Central Luzon; 10 from Calabarzon, one from Mimaropa, 11 from Bicol, 14 from Western Visayas, 10 from Central Visayas, 11 from Eastern Visayas, 12 from Zamboanga Peninsula, 11 from Northern Mindanao, nine from Davao region, 10 from Soccsksargen, and four from Caraga.
The college scholarship program is separate from an educational assistant program, through which the GSIS is offering P4,000 in loan per term for each member or one dependent enrolled in college or vocational-technical courses.