Negros teachers get grad school grants

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd), in partnership with the Negros Occidental provincial government, is set to provide more than 1,500 public school teachers and administrators with full scholarships to finish their graduate degrees.

DepEd and the provincial government recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the University of St. La Salle for the program Project Flagships to Reach Educational Excellence (FREE)-Paglaum.

“Our task as teachers is not only to educate a child. First and foremost, our task is to keep learning every day,” Education Secretary Armin Luistro said.

“As we welcome you to this program, think of the substantial difference you make to your students,” Luistro added.

Project FREE-Paglaum aims to enhance the teaching skills of public school teachers by offering an 18-month structured Master in Education (non-thesis) for classroom teachers, a 24-month masteral thesis program and a 30-month doctoral program for school administrators.

Luistro underscored the importance of investing in the continuing education of teachers and school administrators. He said that through scholarship grants, the teachers can push forward educational reforms for the benefit of students.

“Finishing the program would enable them to offer new knowledge – the knowledge that they can bring with them, and the discipline of knowing how to learn on their own,” Luistro added.