The Quezon City government will grant scholarships to at least 20,000 students for the ongoing Academic Year 2021-2022.

The expanded scholarship program will include athletes, artists, and vocational course students to its existing roster of senior high school, tertiary, and post-graduate students.

“Karapatan ng bawat kabataan ang de-kalidad na edukasyon kaya’t hindi tayo nag-atubiling palawakin pa ang kasalukuyang scholarship program ng lungsod para mas marami pang mag-aaral ang makatanggap nito (Every youth has the right to a quality education and we never hesitated to expand our current scholarship program to accommodate more students),” Mayor Joy Belmonte said in a statement.

The city government will add athletic and arts scholarships to its current tertiary categories of Academic (ranked among the top 10 and with General Weighted Average [GWA] between 1.5 and 1.75 or its equivalent); Economic (indigents, marginalized sector, with disabilities, solo parents, house helpers, children in conflict with the law, children of tricycle drivers and operators); Youth Leaders (elected leaders of Sangguniang Kabataan, student councils, and other city-recognized youth organizations, and with a GWA of 2.5 or its equivalent); and Specialized Courses (GWA of at least 1.75).

All applicants must be QC residents and graduates of the city’s private or public schools. The grantee shall enroll in the semester following the approval of application unless there is a valid reason to defer the availment.

The program being implemented by the Youth Development Office (YDO) started in 1991 with 211 scholars. Currently, it has 16,632 scholars.

“We do not have a list specific schools to enroll in, as long as the school is accredited or recognized by the Department of Education or Commission on Higher Education. and as long as the scholars meet the eligibility criteria and qualifications stated in the scholarship guidelines,” YDO head Eddilyn Dividina told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) through text message.

Qualified athletics and arts scholars will receive a PHP4,000 stipend per year on top of the PHP10,000 tuition grant, while those who will take up vocational courses will have a PHP6,000 tuition stipend.

Scholars taking up Masters and Doctorate degrees will have an additional PHP30,000 thesis grant.

The priority courses are in Science and Mathematics, Information Technology, Engineering, Architecture, Business and Management, Social Sciences, and Interdisciplinary like agribusiness, data analytics, disaster and climate management, and urban development economics.

Applications will be integrated into the QC E-services and with the QCitizen ID. (PNA)