Cabinet spouses provide scholarship to deserving students

FILE: CABINET SPOUSES SCHOLARSHIP. DU30 Cabinet Spouses Association Inc. executive secretary Atty. Betty D. Medialdea (left), and Cagayan State University president Dr. Urdujah A. Tejada sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) at the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on Thursday (September 13, 2018) for a one-year agriculture scholarship grant to two third-year students at the CSU for the academic year 2018-2919. (PNA photo by Jess M. Escaros Jr.)

MANILA – To support the government’s free college education law, the DU30 Cabinet Spouses Association (CSA) signed on Thursday a memorandum of agreement with Cagayan State University (CSU) providing financial aid to deserving college students.

In a press briefing in Quezon City, DU30CSA Executive Secretary Betty Medialdea said one of their group’s projects is a scholarship program which they will implement for the school year 2018-2019.

“We will support initially six students. They are distributed in Luzon, two students enrolled in agriculture or agriculture-related course. In Visayas, two students are enrolled in education or education-related course and in Mindanao, two students enrolled in engineering and engineering-related courses,” she said.

Even if college education is free, Medialdea cited that there are other expenses which could keep students from earning their degrees.

“There is still a need for poor students because they cannot afford the living requirements like food lodging transportation and other miscellaneous expenses so we thought we will support them with their other needs like the allowances,” she said.

Through the program, each of the scholars will receive PHP50,000 cash allowance per semester.

CSU President Urduja Tejada said the program would be a big help for their agricultural science students who need financial support for the books they need and for attending agriculture-related activities or workshops.

“For the free education law, there is already return of service feature, that is what they’re going to observe. There’ll be no more requirement to give back with regards to the funds they will receive from DU30 Cabinet Spouses Association,” she said.

Medialdea said their group will come up with a fund-raising campaign so that the program can be expanded to more universities.

“To the students, take advantage of the opportunity to get free college education, sometimes there are extra expenses you just have to strive harder and see your school administrators and ask for ways you could get additional help or support,” she added.