MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 22 (PIA) -- Twenty five high school graduates from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) qualified this year to a study grant specially catered to deserving Muslim students, officials from the region’s science and technology department announced early this week.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-ARMM Assistant Secretary Abdulgalib Halud said only 25 of the 25, 600 applicants were successfully selected after a screening examinations held early this year for the Grant for Educational Assistance on Technology Teaching Courses for Muslim Mindanao (GREAT-M), a scholarship program specially provided to Muslim students by the DOST-Science Education Institute (SEI).
Halud said the students will get the benefit of a full scholarship in their pursuit of any of the four-year science and technology degrees offered at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT).
The scholarship program, he said, allows qualified Muslim students to study science courses in one of the premiere learning institutions in Mindanao with benefits that include free tuition, P4,000 monthly stipend, and book and uniform allowance.
“We hope to raise the interest of young Filipino Muslims in the field of science and technology as well as increase the number of Muslim professionals in the same area through this program,” he said.
According to Norma Dalamban, DOST-ARMM technical division chief, of the 25 scholars, eight are from Maguindanao, seven from Tawi-Tawi, six from Lanao del Sur, and four from Sulu. Recipients from Maguindanao have already signed their scholarship contracts after receiving an orientation from DOST-ARMM officials.
Dr. Filma G. Brawner, DOST-SEI director, encouraged them to sustain the scholarship by focusing on their studies.
The GREAT-M program was introduced in 2003 to encourage talented young Muslims pursue a career in science and technology and help tackle development issues in some of the depressed areas in Mindanao. GREAT-M has already benefited four batches of recipients.
Brawner said GREAT-M helps students not only financially but also technically, setting it apart for any of the other scholarship programs offered by DOST-SEI.
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