Iskolar ng Marawi continues to aid displaced students

A student receives the first tranche of his allowance for the school year 2022-2023 under the Iskolar ng Marawi program. (Jason Casas/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)

MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA)--Some 2,000 students here continue to benefit from the Iskolar ng Marawi program of the city government.

The program was launched in 2018 to help poor but deserving Marawi-based students from elementary to college level to continue their education upon coming back home after the 2017 siege.

Scholars are granted a maximum stipend of P4,000 for elementary level, P7,000 for high school, and P9,000 for college per school year to defray their tuition fees, transportation allowance, books, uniforms, and miscellaneous fees.

Mayor Majul Gandamra said the program runs for five years with a budget of P10 million per year.

Gandamra said the Iskolar ng Marawi is also intended to be a tool for instilling the love of peace among the youth so that they will choose peaceful existence over violent extremism.

It also aspires to serve as a means of improving youths' employability as soon as they are ready to join the workforce.

The mayor is proud to hear that the program has brought positive impacts to its beneficiaries. He said scholars reported that they are now more confident to do well in their studies because of the relative ease the scholarship allowance gives to them.

Because of this, Gandamra said the Iskolar ng Marawi has been shortlisted as one of the candidates for the LGUs’ Grant Assistance on Innovative Practices (LGAIP) of the BARMM government.

"Hopefully should this project win in the LGAIP, LGU Marawi will be able to expand the Iskolar ng Marawi to benefit more deserving yet financially disadvantaged students thus ensuring a brighter future not only for the youth but also for the entire city," he said. (APB/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)

Beneficiaries of the Iskolar ng Marawi wait for the completion of the verification of their status. The verification was held on November 16-18, 2022 to ensure the smooth release of the 1st tranche allowance of students for the school year 2022-2023. (Jason Casas/PIA-10/Lanao del Sur)