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PGMA scholarship program set for Catanduanes youth

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Written by Filipinas Press Saturday, 04 April 2009 21:51

Bato, Catanduanes --- The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has formally introduced to the youth of Catanduanes province the scholarship program for education of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

TESDA and the participating technology-vocational schools are now accepting enrollees for the opening of the short-term courses on Monday, March 2, 2009 under the Pangulong Gloria Scholarships (PGS).

The PGS has allotted 1,039 scholarships that will be given to poor but deserving youths in the province who want to become productive.

The program is offered for high school graduates and for those who want to improve their technical skills.

High schools graduates who wish to become PGS scholars must have passed a National Career Aptitude Examination (NCAE) for the underemployed and unemployed applicants. TESDA will give an assessment test to the applicants in order to determining their line of interests.

"The PGS program aims to prepare job-ready workers and is absolutely free. No amount or even a single centavo should be collected from the students," Bares assured.

Out of the total P5.8 million allocated for Catanduanes, P1,386,000 represented the Training Fund Support (TFS) for the qualified scholars that has already been remitted to TESDA-Catanduanes.

Aside from the free scholarship, a P60 daily stipend for qualified scholars will be given as a support for their fare and the assessment fee after the training will also be paid by the PGS.

Participating schools will be paid for the training fee aside from receiving P1,000 per student as an incentive.

The Institutional Incentive Package will be in the form of equipment and tools.

The technology vocational (tech-voc) schools will be allowed to borrow for free to upgrade their capabilities and quality of education.

The technology vocational short term courses that are allowed by the PGS are: call center agent with 13 training days; household services, 32 training days; commercial cooking, 55 training days; baking/pastry production, 32 training days; bartending, 36 training days, and carpentry, 21 training days.

Upon completion of the tech-voc PGS, the tech-voc schools are allowed to return to their long semester courses.

PGS as an impact program of President Arroyo designed to help those who cannot afford a four-year degree course.