More than 200 students and science and technology (S&T) professionals displaced during the five-month Marawi siege last year will now see a brighter future as the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) has committed scholarship grants in support of the rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City.
The scholarship grant was recently formalized through the project “DOST Bangon Marawi Program on Science and Technology Human Resources Development [STHRD].”
In the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between DOST-SEI and Mindanao State University (MSU) System, the DOST-SEI will provide scholarship grants to 225 selected undergraduate students in MSU Marawi City campus.
Seen as a “long-term and sustainable solution” to uplift the lives of Marawi residents, the specialized program seeks to assist displaced students enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) courses at MSU-Marawi, as well as open opportunities for local science and technology (S&T) professionals to pursue advance degrees.
“With the heightened need to help rebuild Marawi and the greater Mindanao area, we shall provide opportunities for our children to continue their tertiary studies in Stem and achieve a future that is far removed from the effects of the war,” said Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña before officials and students of MSU Marawi, and Iligan campuses during the program launch held last month.
He said the project is designed to help restore and rehabilitate the city’s human and social infrastructures, especially in the S&T sector.
The DOST Bangon Marawi Program in STHRD has two scholarship components, namely, “Sagip Mag-aaral,” which is meant for third, fourth or fifth year students enrolled in Stem courses at MSU Marawi; and “Graduate Scholarships,” which shall offer full-time and part-time programs for masteral and doctorate studies.
The program assigns 225 slots for the undergraduate courses and 30 for MS (20) and PhD (10) for graduate degrees.
SEI Director Dr. Josette T. Biyo said the slots would follow the same list of priority degrees for its regular undergraduate scholarship programs, as well as the same financial benefits.
“We feel that helping students get back to the university to pursue the dreams they had before the [Marawi] war will provide a more lasting impact to their lives and to the whole city—much like what Nestor had experienced when he was our scholar from his bachelor’s to his doctorate degrees,” Biyo said.
The grantees, currently taking up Stem courses, will receive P10,000 each semester for school tuition; P6,000 monthly allowance; and P10,000 book allowance each year.
The MOA was signed last month at the MSU main campus in Marawi City.
DOST-SEI will also facilitate the provision of financial assistance to selected S&T professionals in Marawi City pursuing higher studies in science and engineering in any of the DOST-accredited universities.
Twenty slots will be allotted to full-time graduate students who will receive P25,000 monthly allowance; P10,000 book allowance each year; and P200,000 research grant assistance, plus the amount of the actual tuition of their chosen universities.
Meanwhile, 10 slots will be allotted to full-time PhD scholars who will receive P33,000 monthly allowance; P10,000 book allowance per year; and P475,000 research assistance, plus the amount of the actual tuition fees of their chosen universities.
Other key components of the DOST-SEI’s initiative include the implementation of the Patriot Project, which, according to Biyo, is designed to “inculcate a deeper love for the country among the scholars,” and the S&T Learning Assistance Program that focuses on capability-development trainings and establishment of a Learning Resource Center in MSU Marawi.
The five-month siege in Marawi City brought massive damages to many establishments, including educational institutions.
“This is a comprehensive program that can help Marawi City bounce back, but the DOST correspondingly looks at this as concrete way to boost the S&T human resources of the whole archipelago. We hope that this sparks the rebuilding of Marawi and of the nation as a whole,” de la Peña said.
Biyo shared that many consultative meetings were held in recent months to discuss how DOST-SEI could aid in rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City.
“This program will enable displaced students and S&T professionals to get back on their feet and be instrumental in restoring the old beauty of Marawi City,” Biyo said.
She also said that accelerating S&T human-resources development in Marawi City could provide long-term benefits for every Maranao.
In the years to come, many of these scholars could be scientists, engineers and captains of the industries who would be at the forefront in initiating innovation and projects that could bring inclusive development to Marawi City, she said.
MSU President Dr. Habib W. Macaayong, in agreeing with Biyo, said that producing highly skilled professionals, particularly in S&T, could play an integral part to the sustainable development of an area like Marawi City.
“We have always mentioned how research and development in the field of science and technology could provide every Filipino a better living condition. On the top of that, we need equipped individuals who would help and lead us to achieve our aspirations,” Macaayong said.
Image credits: Henry A. de Leon/DOST-STII