The Department of Education in the Philippines offers a scholarship program called the One Town, One Scholar Scholarship Program. This involves the awarding of four to five-year scholarship to incoming freshman who has been selected by the nominees’ municipality as its ‘Town Scholar’. The program aims to ensures that deserving public high school graduates from all towns and municipalities nationwide will receive a tertiary education in a state college or university.
Also Read: How to Apply DepEd Scholarship for Non-Teaching Personnel
All public secondary schools are advised to open the application to the qualified and interested top ten (10) graduating students. The selection process shall follow the Implementing Guidelines of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). All Regional and Division Offices are enjoined to actively implement and monitor the implementation of this directive to ensure that every town or municipality will submit its Town Scholar on time.
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What is DepEd’s “One Town, One Scholar” Scholarship Program?
In accordance with the provisions under Republic Act (RA) No. 7722, also known as the Higher Education Act of 1994, the General Assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines ensured that in this college scholarship program, the best high school graduate of every municipality will be a recipient and will be called the ‘town scholar’ of every municipality. This will assure that the best graduate will be studying at the tertiary level.
The Department of Budget and Management will allocate funds to ensure that the funds will be properly disbursed for this purpose. DepEd is mandated to assist in the implementation and the formulation of selection guidelines in consultation with CHED and other concerned agencies. With the primary objective to enable and ensure that deserving public high school students will continue their college education in a state college and university, the MOA among and between CHED, DILG, DBM, DepEd, and other concerned agencies will assure that they will operate and implement the scholarship program.
Qualifications
The qualifications for One Town, One Scholar Scholarship Program include the following:
- Must be a natural-born Filipino citizen residing in the municipality or town.
- Must be a graduating student of a public high school in the municipality or town.
- Belonging to the top ten of the graduating class of the public high school.
- Must have a family combined gross income below P300,000.00.
- Must possess good moral character.
- Must be in the pink of health.
- Must have a favorable National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) result.
Upon receiving the scholarship grant, the Town Scholar must meet the following conditions:
- Must execute a Scholarship Contract with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
- Must enroll only in CHED-identified priority programs, in State Colleges and Universities (SUC) within the municipality or nearest SUC.
- Must carry a full semestral (or trimestral) load as prescribed in the course curriculum and finish within the prescribed duration of the course.
- Maintain an average of 2.0 and must not have a grade of less than 2.75 in any subject.
- Render at least one year for every year of study grant within the country prioritizing the scholar’s municipality.
Take into consideration that the Town Scholar shall be terminated for the following reasons:
- Failure in at least two major academic subjects.
- Gross violation of the school’s policies and regulations.
- Conviction by a Philippine court for any crime committed.
Town Scholars may be replaced within a given School Year subject to the following cases:
- Voluntary withdrawal from the grant offer.
- Force majeur or other unforeseen events that affect the scholar’s inability to focus on the studies.
- Dropping out.
- Option or selection of a better grant.
- Waiver in the middle of the term.
- Poor academic performance
Requirements
To avail the ‘One Town, One Scholar’ Scholarship Program, the following documents are required.
To be qualified, the following pertinent papers must be submitted:
- Proof that the student is a bonafide resident of the municipality/town
- High School Report Card
- Certification from the Public High School Principal that the student belongs to the top ten of the graduating class
- Income tax return or tax exemption certificate of parents or guardians or its equivalent
- Certification of good moral character from the school’s Registrar’s Office
- Certification of good health from a government physician
How to apply for the DepEd’s “One Town, One Scholar” Scholarship Program
The One Town, One Scholar Scholarship Program observes the following procedure:
STEP 1: Interested public high school students who belong to the top ten of the graduating class submit their letters of application coursing through the School Principal or to the Municipal Mayor.
STEP 2: Applications are subject to the screening and selection process agreed upon by the Municipal Mayor and the DepEd representative in the municipality.
STEP 3: The Municipal Mayor endorses to the CHED Regional Office the municipality’s nominees.
STEP 4: CHED Regional Office validates the qualification of every endorsed grantee prior to the issuance of a Scholarship Certificate.
STEP 5: Only one Town Scholar shall be awarded the scholarship in every municipality of each school year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the common questions and answers about the One Town, One Scholar Scholarship Program.
1. What is the One Town, One Scholar Scholarship Program?
The One Town, One scholar Scholarship Program is a scholarship initiative launched by the DepEd in coordination with CHED and other concerned government agencies that aims to provide educational assistance to qualified high school graduates.
2. Who is eligible to apply for the One Town, One Scholar Scholarship?
To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must belong to the top ten of the graduating class and must be a resident of the municipality and must belong to a family with an annual income of not more than P300,000.00
3. What benefits does the scholarship program provide?
The scholarship program provides educational and financial assistance to cover tuition and other fees like stipend in an amount not exceeding P15,000.00 per school semester.
4. How can I apply for the One Town, One Scholar Scholarship Program?
To apply for the scholarship, qualified nominees must satisfy first the minimum requirements like being a natural-born Filipino citizen residing in the municipality, must belong to the top ten graduating students, and must have a combined family annual income not more than P300,000.00.
Summary
The One Town, One Scholar Scholarship Program intends to award four or five-year scholarship to incoming freshman who has been selected by the nominee’s municipality as its ‘Town Scholar’.
This scholarship initiative by DepEd in collaboration with CHED and other related government agencies ensure that deserving public high school graduates especially from those who come from financially challenged families will receive education in a state college or university. All public secondary schools will choose from the interested top ten graduating students.
Applications on this scholarship program are subject to the screening and selection process agreed upon by the Municipal Mayor and the DepEd representative in the municipality. One a single town scholar shall be selected in every municipality of each school year.
Municipal Mayors are encouraged to cause the augmentation of the scholarship benefits of their town scholars are chargeable against local government funds.