A total of 799 college students have been granted scholarships by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), its education ministry announced Tuesday.

The scholars are from the cities of Cotabato and Marawi, provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, and from the 63 barangays in North Cotabato that joined the BARMM region during a plebiscite held in early 2019.

On Monday, the scholars started signing their Notice of Award (NOA) and scholarship contract at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex, the provisional seat of the BARMM government here.

“The NOA and scholarship signing is set to end today (Tuesday),” Minister Mohagher Iqbal of the BARMM Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE), said.

Iqbal said the students earlier passed the qualification process for the Access to Higher and Modern Education Scholarship Program (AHME-SP), one of the flagship programs of MBHTE introduced this year.

Also known as the Bangsamoro IQ Scholar, the scholarship complements existing higher education scholarships, subsidies, loans, and similar programs implemented in BARMM for qualified Senior High School and Alternative Learning System graduates who will enroll as freshmen college students.

Iqbal said the ministry also gave special eligibility to combatants, their children, orphans, or surviving spouses who met the minimum qualifications.

Iqbal said the ministry also gave special eligibility to combatants, their children, orphans, or surviving spouses who met the minimum qualifications.

“This is in line with the Bangsamoro government’s post-conflict rehabilitation and development efforts,” he said.

Around 1,400 students across the BARMM were targeted to benefit from the particular scholarship; 799 made it from the mainland provinces while the rest will be coming from the provincial islands of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

The scholarship is effective from the first semester of the academic year 2020-2021 and will last until the school year 2023-2024. Each scholar will receive PHP30,000 allowances per semester or PHP60,000 per academic year.

Iris Dinah Bacaraman, 21, a Maranao and a B.S. Physics student at the Mindanao State University-Main Campus, said she availed if the scholarship because she has five siblings and it will be helpful for her parents.

“My father is the family’s breadwinner, this fund is of great help for me,” she said. “Since it’s pandemic, we are into online classes and we need to load our internet every three days.”

Hissam Rumaguia, 19, a Maguindanaon and B.S. Social Work student at the Cotabato City State Polytechnic College, said the scholarship he received will greatly help his schooling, especially on projects and allowance.

MBHTE is yet to announce the contract signing schedule for the scholarship beneficiaries from the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. (PNA)

Photo Credit: www.bangsamoro.gov.ph