1,030 College Juniors Qualify as New DOST-SEI Scholars

Dagupan City (PIA) – The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) has announced on Monday that a total of 1, 030 third year college students passed the Junior Level Science Scholarship (JLSS) examination conducted nationwide last July 12.

Project Assistant III Jhonna Lyn Ogoc of DOST in the Ilocos said some 42 scholarship qualifiers who aced the JLSS exam are from Region 1 – Ilocos Norte with 10; Ilocos Sur has two; La Union got nine and Pangasinan produced 21 scholars.

Qualifiers from Pangasinan are: Christian Bagtas, Ivanshane Malala, Eliza Mae Male and Rona Molina (Malasiqui); Gregory Jimenez, Careen Mae Macaraeg, Genesis Parel and Jan Bernabe Sabado (Bayambang); Clein John Reyes (Manaoag); Jantzen Solomon (Tayug); Ta-lung Tseng and Michael Vincent Bayna (Bani); Danielle Mae Tugare (Villasis); Jeramy Ballesteros (Sto. Tomas); Ma. Angelica Bautista (Labrador); Maria Jiselle Cancino (Basista); Louie Flores (Binmaley); Frederick Christian Padlan (San Carlos City); Renzo Perez (Mangaldan); Nino Bert Suni (Sta. Barbara); and Ferren Velasco (Lingayen).

The JLSS is a scholarship program of the DOST-SEI under the Republic Act (RA) No. 10612 titled, “An Act Expanding the Coverage of the Science and Technology (S&T) Scholarship Program and Strengthening the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in Secondary Schools.”

In a statement, Dr. Josette Biyo, SEI Director, said the RA 10612 will strengthen the country’s science and technology education and hopes to inspire more scholar-graduates to pursue a career path in science teaching.

According to the DOST website, qualifiers of this scholarship program will get to enjoy a two to three-year S&T scholarship with privileges following the existing financial assistance to scholars of the Republic Act 7687 or the “Science and Technology Scholarship Act of 1994.” They will be entitled to subsidy in tuition fee and other school fees, monthly living allowance, book allowance, among others, in the last two or three years of their undergraduate studies.

Upon graduation, the scholars are required to serve as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) teachers for a minimum of two years in any public or private high school in the country, preferably in their hometown. They will also be made to undergo teacher training by the Philippine Normal University (PNU).

To ensure that graduates under the program would be able to serve, the Department of Education (DepEd) will assist in the job placement and hiring of qualified graduates with a starting salary equivalent to that of the Special Science Teacher 1 position at the Philippine Science High School. Other incentives include relocation allowance if they would be assigned to teach outside their home region or province; and they would be allowed to teach initially without LET (Licensure Examination for Teachers) eligibility provided that they take and pass the LET within five years of hiring.

The new JLSS scholars under RA 10612 will get to enjoy the scholarship effective the First Semester of academic year 2015-2016.

For the complete list of scholarship qualifiers, visit www.sei.dost.gov.ph. (VHS/AMM/PIA-1, Pangasinan/DOST)