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A bill was filed before the House of Representatives
to support part-time and independent students.
According to Rep. Narciso
Santiago 3rd of the Alliance for Rural Concerns party-list group,
House Bill 4097 or the “Part-Time, Independent Students Grant Act
of 2008” seeks to support such students with scholarship grants.
The party-list lawmaker pointed
out that the measure would provide quality education for all, and
establish a grant program to foster the pursuit of post-secondary
education by part-time students, particularly by independent
individuals who have insufficient financial resources.
“In order for quality education
to be affordable for everyone, there is a need to prescribe the
powers and duties of state agencies, and institutions of higher
education which this proposal of mine aims to achieve,” he said.
The bill states that upon
application of an eligible student to the scholarship grant, an
amount of not more than P30,000 per academic year, not exceeding a
12-month period, shall be given by any educational institution to
the deserving student.
It also provides that students
who are already covered by scholarships or grants may still be
eligible for funds under the Act, if the student’s scholarships
and grants are less than the student’s financial need.
In the proposed bill, independent
students are defined as those who finance their studies without
getting any financial help from anyone including their families.
Part-time students, on the other hand, are those who are enrolled
from three to not more than eleven semester hours.
--Jomar Canlas
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