COTABATO CITY—Education scholars of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have started receiving their scholarship benefits to cover school expenses for Academic Year 2020-2021.
Minister Mohagher Iqbal of the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) said some 242 scholars under the Access to Higher and Modern Education-Scholarship Program (AHME-SP) have claimed P30,000 as the second tranche of their benefits under the package.
The ceremonial release of scholarship checks was held at the BARMM government center in this city on July 15 for local students and the Special Geographic Area, or the 63 villages in North Cotabato that are now part of the BARMM. Overall, a total of 1,298 AHME scholars in the BARMM are entitled to receive P60,000 annually.
Launched in 2019, the scholarship program was aimed at promoting quality education to Bangsamoro student scholars, while eradicating poverty through the rightful educational system approach.
Iqbal said higher education has benefits to Bangsamoro learners, and AHME-SP is proof of MBHTE’s guarantee to make quality schooling accessible.
“For instance, students acquire a broad range of skills that can qualify them [to a wide array] of career choices in different fields, and offer them more room for personal and professional advancement,” the minister noted.
He added the ministry recognizes higher education as one of the critical drivers of growth performance and competitiveness in both national and global economies: “This is why the MBHTE is fully committed to advancing [such,] due to its impact on…Bangsamoro economy and society.”
The BARRM official added that allowances for scholars in other parts of the region such as Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi will also be released soon.
“This is unprecedented,” said scholar Datu Aljar, who claims to be a son of a former Moro Islamic Liberation Front combatant.