OPPOSING VIEWS

It is often argued that there aren’t enough government scholarship/sponsorship programs/

available for Filipinos living in poverty or far-flung areas. However, that is not entirely true.

There are a number of government and non-government scholarship or sponsorship programs

available for Filipinos which will help lighten the load of the student’s school expenses. These

programs from the organizations like the Hope 4 Change International Student sponsorship –

they seek to improve the redundant cycle of poverty by providing opportunities for an education

through sponsorship. This covers the needs of the students living in extreme poverty from

elementary through college for the entire school year and the sponsorship fee provides for

uniforms, school supplies, special projects, travel and family needs. This will surely support

many students who would love to get an education. [ CITATION Phi19 \l 13321 ], Another would be

the Children's Educational Assistance Program – which the students can benefit because they

provide extensive services and resources to our students and their families. Additionally, they

provided benefits include school supplies, uniforms, daily lunch, academic fees and student

recognition awards. [ CITATION Cur \l 13321 ]. Another would be the educational assistance from

the Department of Social Welfare and Development – however, they have clarified that they do

not offer scholarships but instead provide educational assistance to poor Filipino students

[ CITATION Mat18 \l 13321 ]. There is actually quite a lot of scholarship/sponsorship programs

which really help students in poverty but one cannot deny that these have not been advertised to

the people in rural communities. However so, these programs should reach out to them instead of

the opposite.

It is true that there is indeed a limited amount of teachers working in the rural areas of the

Philippines. Filipino-teachers rather work abroad or in urban areas in the Philippines rather than
the provincial/ far-flung areas because there aren’t really that much benefits in working in rural

areas. The work of a public school teacher isn’t a walk in the park. They complain about

instruction materials being delivered late that they have to present lessons on Manila paper they

prepare through the night, adding stress for them [ CITATION Sun17 \l 13321 ] . This may be the

case but the Department of Education here in the Philippines is looking for ways to solve that.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is working hand in hand with teachers to ensure that their

welfare and rights are upheld. Thus, for the year 2019, teachers under DepEd get to enjoy several

benefits, allowances and perks as mandated by the law. [ CITATION Adm19 \l 13321 ]

Most often, people think that the Department of Education here in the Philippines does

not really proritize education and infrastructure. Though, that is not the case. They are planning

to build educational infrastructures and school communities in rural areas. The Department of

Budget and Management states, “The sector with the highest allocation is education, comprised

of the budgets of the Department of Education (DepEd), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs),

the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills

Development Authority (TESDA). Its cash-appropriations in the proposed 2019 budget amounts

to P659.3 billion, higher by P72.2 billion or 12.3% than its cash-based equivalent in the 2018

budget.” Additionally, it they state that the DA has a budget of P49.8 billion, higher by P9.1

billion or 22.4%, to promote agricultural development and improve the lives of those in the rural

sector. [ CITATION Dep18 \l 13321 ] . With this given amount of a budget, this will be able to help

the teachers and students in having a comfortable and efficient place to do their teaching and

learning.

References
Admin. (2019, March 17). Here's the list of benefits DepEd teachers enjoy for their dedicated

service. Retrieved from The Summit Express Web site:

https://www.thesummitexpress.com/2019/03/list-deped-teachers-benefits-allowances-

compensation.html

Cure Foundation Philippines. (n.d.). "BREAKING THE CYCLE OF POVERTY THROUGH

EDUCATION" - Educational Assistance . Retrieved from Cure Foundation Philippines

Web site: https://www.curefoundationphilippines.org/scholarship-program

Department of Budget and Management, Republic of the Philippines. (2018, July 19).

Secretary's Corner: Proposed 2019 Budget to Prioritize Education and Infrastructure.

Retrieved from Department of Budget and Management Web site:

https://www.dbm.gov.ph/index.php/secretary-s-corner/press-releases/list-of-press-

releases/1118-proposed-2019-budget-to-prioritize-education-and-infrastructure

Mateo, J. (2018, March 22). Education and Home: DSWD assistance available to poor students.

Retrieved from Philstar Web site: https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/education-

and-home/2018/03/22/1799042/dswd-assistance-available-poor-students

Philippine Scholarship. (2019, January 6). Hope 4 Change International Student Sponsorship |

Philippine Scholarship. Retrieved from Philippine Scholarship Web site:

http://philippinescholarship.com/category/philippine-scholarship-programs/elementary-

assistance/

Sun.Star Pampanga. (2017, January 11). CHALLENGES OF BASIC EDUCATION IN FAR-

FLUNG AREAS. Retrieved from Press Reader Web site: https://www.pressreader.com/