13 February 2022
More third-year college students are set to enjoy the perks of the country’s premier science and technology (S&T) scholarships.
These students need not wait any longer as the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) announces the names of qualifiers under the Junior Level Science Scholarships (JLSS) – a program specifically available for ongoing third-year college students enrolled in priority S&T courses.
Like last year’s scholarship results, qualifiers were identified using data analytics and evaluation of proxy indicators. At the outset, applicants underwent eligibility screening using the JLSS E-Scholarship Application System and submitted the requirements, among which were their grades in the first two years in college.
Of the total number, 160 qualifiers—with asterisk after their names--are to resubmit some document/s for re-evaluation. They will be advised of these document/s that they must submit soonest.
In addition, there are 299 more potential qualifiers—whose names do not appear in the published list—who are also under consideration, pending resubmission of requirements for further evaluation.
Qualifiers who will avail the scholarship will enjoy two to three years of benefits, which include tuition subsidy, monthly stipend, book allowance, and others, starting in the First Semester of Academic Year 2021-2022.
The JLSS has three component programs, namely: Republic Act (R.A.) No. 2067 or the Merit Scholarship, R.A. No. 7687 or the “S&T Scholarship Act of 1994,” and the R.A. No. 10612 or the “Fast-Tracked S&T Scholarship Act of 2013.” The R.A. 2067 and R.A. 7687 scholarship programs are implemented in support of the overall goal of increasing the number of scientists and engineers who will help boost knowledge creation and economic productivity in the country. RA 10612 scholarship program, on the other hand, supports the execution of the K to 12 law by creating a pool of scholar-graduates who can competently teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the secondary education.
“Through the JLSS, we continue to be on the right track of strengthening the development of valuable human resources in the emerging fields in agriculture, engineering, health, and other advanced areas. We are optimistic that this new batch of future scientists, engineers, and even educators can give birth to innovations more so in extraordinary circumstances that we are experiencing for more than two years now,” said Dr. Josette Biyo, Director of DOST-SEI.
Upon completion of their degree programs, scholars under the RA 7687 and Merit Programs are required to work along their fields of specialization in the country for a period equivalent to the length of years in which they enjoyed the scholarship.
Meanwhile, the graduates under the RA 10612 are expected to teach STEM, ideally in their respective home regions, as their return-service.
“While we continue to support students wanting to get degrees in STEM, it is equally important to take into consideration those who also aspire to teach in these fields. We welcome their entry to the science community and hopefully all these qualifiers will end up working in critical S&T fields for the country in the future,” Dr. Biyo added.
