To ensure adherence to scholarship policies and enhance awareness of grant procedures, the Scholarship Office of Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU) – Main Campus, through the Student Affairs and Services Office (SASO), conducted an orientation and monitoring activity for all scholarship programs offered in the university held at the Engineering Building, Inner Court, Thursday, November 13.

The event was divided into two sessions to ensure that all beneficiaries fully understood the policies and responsibilities associated with their financial aid.

The morning session held the Scholars’ Orientation, which recorded 250 attendees composed of both new and continuing grantees under all scholarship programs offered in the university, elaborates the grant stipulations, academic requirements, and institutional guidelines they must follow.

Moreover, key officials from SASO and other concerned offices provided discussions on various scholarship and financial assistance programs designed to ease the economic burden associated with higher education.

In her message, SASO Director Dr. Sonia Enrile emphasized the value of scholarships as opportunities that supplement free higher education and urged students to be grateful and make the most of these privileges.

“These are actually some of the opportunities, the privileges that you can ever have in order for you to finance your studies at this point in time for the reason that aside from there is a free higher education, you still have your scholarship and you really have to be thankful for that. Embrace these moments with open hearts and curious minds,” said Dr. Enrile.

Following the morning briefing, the afternoon session focused on a rigorous monitoring program attended by 1,849 Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) and Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) grantees.

The session verified the grantees’ compliance to Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, outlined the process of application, identified possible grounds for termination, and addressed concerns regarding the disbursement and utilization of financial assistance.

It primarily aimed to ensure that beneficiaries adhere strictly to the academic and behavioral standards set forth by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the university, reinforcing the scholars’ sense of responsibility.

Rommel Lapinig, a TES grantee and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Major in Marketing Management student, found the orientation helpful for clarifying the program’s nature as government financial aid and motivated him to commit seriously to his studies as a responsible grantee.

“The first-time grantee orientation was highly beneficial and meaningful, clearly explaining the Tertiary Education Subsidy as a government financial assistance program—not a scholarship—covering its benefits, requirements, and responsibilities, which ultimately deepened my understanding of the program’s values and goals and motivated me to commit seriously to my studies as a privileged responsibility,” said Lapinig.

Moreover, CHED-UniFAST Representative Rhea Mae Baillo, emphasized that scholarship recipients must recognize their responsibilities, noting that financial support reminds students to value education as a privilege, not just a right.

“Our grantees understand the responsibilities with being a best scholar, and this support reminds us that education is not only a right, but also a privilege that should be valued in our children,” Baillo said.

Concluding the event, the SASO requested the scholars—including those who were unable to attend—to accomplish the forms introduced during the orientation to collect essential data and information needed for university records and monitoring their scholarship status at:

Scholar’s Profile Form: https://forms.gle/9M5LA3ap9mP5VGh2A

Scholars and Grants Evaluation of Seminars/Activities: https://forms.gle/vB4HiEc11PwKGyno9

Meanwhile, submission of requirements for the stipend release of TES and TDP grantees remain on-going at the UniFast Office located in the New Administration Building.

Article by Niña Mae Marañon & Sarah Lorica