SEAMEO INNOTECH orients Cambodian education officials on PH student loans and scholarships

From February 23 to 27, SEAMEO INNOTECH facilitated a study visit on Philippine’s student loans and scholarship programs for education officials from Cambodia. The five-day program included visits to Commission on Higher Education (CHED), University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD), De La Salle University (DLSU), Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), Philippine Normal University (PNU), and Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP).

The participants were oriented on Philippine higher education and student financial assistance programs in CHED. They also learned about the legal framework for scholarships and loans, student selection process, and relevant literature on scholarship and loans in the Philippines, particularly in CHED.

The visit in PAASCU discussed the extent to which student loan and scholarship programs have affected the higher educational institutional accreditation.

The participants visited the four universities – UPD, DLSU, PNU, and TIP – to learn about the system for student selection, receipt of funds, implementation, and record keeping related to student loans and scholarships. They were also able to meet students who are recipients of the loans and scholarships of the universities.

SEAMEO INNOTECH facilitated the study visit for the Cambodian education officials to gather information for the development of their own policy on scholarships, student subsidies, and a student loan scheme. Cambodia’s Ministry of Education aims to establish a sustainable mechanism to expand equitable access for the increasing number of students at higher education level.