500 students pass DOST’s science scholarship exam

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 500 third year college students passed the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI)’s qualifying Junior Level Science Scholarship (JLSS) exam administered nationwide last Oct. 18 to identify possible awardees of the scholarship program meant to encourage the country’s best and brightest to consider a career as S&T educators.

The JLSS is a scholarship program of the DOST-SEI launched after the enactment of Republic Act (RA) 10612, creating the JLSS program, which is meant to beef up the country’s pool of S&T educators and improve the teaching of the sciences in public and private schools.

RA 10612, “An Act Expanding the Coverage of the Science and Technology (S&T) Scholarship Program and Strengthening the Teaching of Science and Mathematics in Secondary Schools,” is also known as the “Fast-Tracked S&T Scholarship Act of 2013.”

The implementation of RA 10612 supports the execution of Section 8 of the K to 12 law, which urges the hiring of teachers from graduates of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses.

“By fast-tracking graduates in STEM courses, RA 10612 aims to strengthen the country’s science and technology education and hopes to inspire our scholar-graduates towards a career-path in science teaching,” Josette Biyo, DOST-SEI director, said in a statement.

Qualifiers of this scholarship program will receive subsidy for tuition and other school fees, monthly living allowance for 10 to 11 months, book allowance, and more during the last two or three years of their undergraduate studies.

 The scholarship program under RA 10612 will not only answer the shortage of STEM teachers in the country, but also provide more competent teachers to handle the K to 12 basic education curriculum.

Upon graduation, the scholars are required to serve as STEM teachers for a minimum of two years in any public or private high school in the country, preferably in their hometown. They will also be given teacher training by the Philippine Normal University (PNU). 

To ensure that graduates under the program would be able to serve, the Department of Education (DepEd) will assist in the job placement and hiring of qualified graduates.