ILOILO CITY, Dec. 31(PIA)–The Commission on Higher Education-6 (CHED) has reported that recipients of the Student-Grants-in-Aid for Poverty-Alleviation Program (SGP-PA) in Western Visayas. From only 246 for School Year 2013-2014 the grantees have increased to 3,538 this school year 2014-2015. CHED’s Supervising Education specialist Dr. Rex Casiple said these grantees are proportionally distributed to 11 state universities and colleges in Western Visayas. Casiple said the expanded SGP-PA is an innovative and generous scheme of the government to increase the number of college graduates among the poorest of the poor households. The program provides financially constrained poor but deserving students to finish a college degree and "break the cycle of poverty.” Meanwhile, a recent study of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)came up with a recommendation for the CHED and the Department of Social Welfare and Development to review their selection process incorporating indicators such as admission exams, social adaptation and strategies to help grantees gain a developmental approach to their education. PIDS also recommended a more intensive and detailed information campaign on the availability of the SGA-PA, as well as SUCs should consider the cultural challenges of the grantees when designing intervention programs to help grantees become academically well-adjusted. (ESS/PIA-Iloilo)

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