Young: "We're trying to address dropouts"

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Acting Mayor Joy Augustus Young does not at all worry about a Commission on Audit (COA) observation questioning what the agency sees as laxity in the screening process for beneficiaries of the city’s Scholarship Program.

Young said they are in the process of preparing their response which they intend to submit to COA next week.

“For me, the COA does not know what we are doing right now to come up with an observation like that,” Young said. He refused to give a copy of the COA observation but promised to release it once their detailed response is ready.

Young said COA basically asked them to be stricter in implementing the scholarship programs through measures that will ensure minimal, if not zero, rate of dropouts to prevent wasting government funds.

COA noted a significant rate of dropouts that it says is due to lack of thorough screening of students who will be able to make it to the whole four years of college or six months to two years of vocational courses.

Last March, the scholarship committee recorded a 25-percent dropout for school year 2010 to 2011. This 25 percent is composed of 1,259 students who did not enroll in the second semester.

The City spent P12.5 million for these students, money that has gone to waste because it did not serve the purpose of sending these students to college.

Young then said the common cause of dropout is the students’ inability to survive the course, resulting in their shifting to another course.

Having observed this, however, the Scholarship Committee implemented measures to ensure that students will enroll in the courses that fit their skills and ability.

The new batch of scholars underwent a career assessment test that would tell them which courses to enroll in.

Results are interpreted by psychometric experts to ensure best results.

The Scholarship Committee limited the courses available to those that have market demands to make sure they will easily get a job after graduation.

The City Government is also holding an information caravan in all schools to inform the parents and students ahead of the expenses they will likely incur when they enroll their children in college.

Young said this will help the parents prepare ahead of time or will help them determine if they can afford their children’s college education before they allow their children to enroll.  (FREEMAN)