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| US Ambassador Sung Kim and CHED Chair J. Prospero de Vera III (Photo from: CHED) |
[아시아뉴스통신=페이 기자]The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Embassy of the United States of America signed on Monday a new CHED-Fulbright agreement to implement a scholarship program to send Filipino higher education institution personnel abroad to pursue graduate degree and non-degree thesis/dissertation programs in American universities. US Ambassador to Philippines Sung Kim and CHED chairman J. Prospero de Vera III signed the new CHED-Fulbright agreement to boost student and faculty mobility in various fields of study and facilitate alternating missions to the Philippines and United States for higher education executives and stakeholders.
The Fulbright program which was founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946, is one of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world. It has produced luminaries such as former Senator Rene Saguisag, former Supreme Court Chief Justice and Senate President Marcelo Fernan, National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera, Napoleon Abueva, Abdulmari Asia Imao, and Lucrecia Kasilag, and National Scientist and former CHED head Angel Alcala.
“CHED through Commission en Banc Resolution No. 501-2016 approved the partnership between the CHED and the Philippine-American Educational Foundation. We are giving PHP164 million for the next batch of scholars,” de Vera said. In Nov. 2, 2016, CHED and PAEF awarded its first batch of Fulbright-CHED Scholarship grantees for the September 2017 Intake, which was composed of 17 competent and highly qualified Filipino higher education faculty and staff who would pursue their graduate studies in the United States. The 17 scholars pursued a Master’s degree (7 scholars), nine pursued a Doctorate degree, and one pursued a Doctoral Dissertation Research in different American universities.
A total of 19 Fulbright-CHED scholars were sent for graduate studies in the US in September 2018 (9 PhDs, 6 MAs, and 3 Non-degree grantees). The scholarship provides funding support for tuition and fees, non-academic fees, monthly allowance, airfare, excess baggage, in-transit allowance, dissertation, and other academic support, which is equivalent to USD77,250 or PHP3.9 million (conversion based on the date of signing) for two years.
“Currently, we have 18 scholars (11 from batch 1 and 7 from batch 2) who have already completed their program and are expected to render return service to their respective sending higher education institutions,” de Vera said. “The Fulbright program has produced so many outstanding leaders in the academe, industry and in government. This new agreement continues this valuable and mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries,” he added.
