Ilocos Norte dreams of becoming the first province in the country offering free college education.
Emphasizing the importance of access to higher education, Gov. Imee Marcos announced that the provincial government will seek to provide free college education for the Ilocano youth.
“Ang pangarap ko bilang gobernador ay makapagbigay ng libreng college education… Free college is possible, and all poor but deserving students can graduate,” she said during her State of the Province Address (SOPA) end of October.
The program when it succeeds will make Ilocos Norte as the first province in the country to provide free college education.
“Daydi tatangko, ni Apo Presidente Ferdinand Marcos, nangi-libre iti high school, sapay koma ta siyak nga anak na iti mangilibrento met iti kolehiyo (My father President Ferdinand Marcos provided free high school education. As her daughter, I hope I can provide free higher education,” the governor said.
The provincial government, together with state-run Mariano Marcos State University, will shoulder an estimate of P30 million worth of school fees for less fortunate students.
“We and the Ilocano youth thank Gov. Imee Marcos for the vision of providing free college education. Every Ilocano family dreams of having at least one member to finish college, and that goal will become possible through Ilocos Norte’s free college education,” said James Ceasar Ventura, director of Ilocos Norte Youth Office (INYO).
He added that Marcos has always been a firm believer that education is the key to improving the quality of lives of Ilocanos, especially those coming from low-income families.
Recently, INYO opened 5,000 slots for the “Asikaso ni Manang Imee Tuition-for-work Program” which aims to provide financial assistance to students whose families were affected by Supertyphoon Lawin.
More than 200 private college students, mostly children of farmers and fisherfolks, already received P5,000 financial assistance.
For the present semester, at least 1,099 scholars are being sponsored by PGIN.
The Provincial Budget Office has accordingly allotted a total of P22 million for the provincial government’s scholarship program for the year 2017.
The post Ilocos Norte Seeks to Provide Free College Education appeared first on Philippine Star.
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