1 month ago
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THE Northern Samar provincial government aims to implement a new policy that would provide full scholarships to deserving students studying agriculture-related courses.
Northern Samar Gov. Edwin Ongchuan has ordered the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO), in partnership with other government agencies, to launch campaigns that would encourage more Nortehanons to pursue farming and agri-entrepreneurship courses.
This action comes amid further concerns about the province's decreasing number of students pursuing agriculture-related careers, as well as its aging farmer population.
PAO chief Jose Luis Acompañado said that the agriculture scholarship program would begin with 10 slots this school year and will gradually increase to 30 scholars in years to come.
The provincial government plans to provide P3 million for the scholarship program, with recipients receiving more than P30,000 every semester to cover tuition, other school expenses, stipends, book and uniform allowances.
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Those who get selected as scholars under the program would attend the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), the province's only government-run institution, situated in Catarman.
"There are only 2,939 students from the province who are currently enrolled in agriculture-related courses which include veterinary medicine and fisheries at UEP," Acompañado said.
This program supports Northern Samar's ongoing efforts to ensure food security, promote sustainable farming, and alleviate the shortage of agricultural workers.
"We hope that this scholarship program will encourage our youths to take agriculture-related courses and eventually help meet our food sufficiency," Acompañado said.
"At present, there are more than 32,300 registered farmers across the province, many of them are aging," he added.
