New law grants scholarship, admission for top 10 HS graduates

THE TOP ten graduates of public high schools now have the right to be automatically admitted to their choice of state university and college (SUC) and be a scholar of the government, in accordance to the Iskolar ng Bayan law.

For the first six years of the law’s implementation, the top ten students of their graduating class will no longer have to take an SUC’s entrance exam in order to be admitted.

Higher and Technical Education Chairperson and Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, who co-authored the law, said that around 1.6 million Filipino students graduate from high school annually, but only an estimate of 700 thousand students enter college.

He said that the law estimates around 80 thousand beneficiaries.

According to Section 3, the top ten students shall be based on the guidelines and criteria set by the Department of Education (DepEd).

“Na-depoliticize po ang sistema; ang top ten na po ‘yun ay based on the standards ng DepEd. Wala pong paki ang SUCs and Kongreso,” Romulo said.

He added that a certificate from the high school principal or the superintendent of the district containing the student’s name and the public high school he or she has graduated from is the only requirement necessary, besides meeting the admission requirements of the SUC where he or she intends to enroll.

Also, he said that regardless of their status in life, the law will apply to the top 10 students.

“Yung assumption po natin, kaya sila nasa DepEd schools ay kailangan nila ng tulong papuntang kolehiyo.”

However, the top ten students may only apply to the SUCs within their region. Romulo said that they have learned from their own policies, saying that a few years ago, when a policy wherein children of age for college was sent to Metro Manila was implemented in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

“[It is] simply because the adjustment from high school to college, malaki pong bagay ‘yan. Lalo na po kung first time mong mawala sa home province mo, yung adjustment nyan malaki,” he said. “Tapos kung malayo ka pa sa iyong pamilya, mga kaibigan, walang support group. Learning from that [experience], wag na nating ilayo sila para habang nag-aadjust sila ng college life nila, meron silang support group.”

The scholarship grant covers the full amount of tuition and other school fees for the first year of college. For the succeeding years, regular student financial assistance and scholarship programs will be provided by the Commission on Higher Education.

The Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014, or Republic Act No. 10648, was signed into law November last year. Mary Gillan Frances G. Ropero, Inquirer.net trainee