According to a recent post by Rise for Education, science students from the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) are still waiting to receive their stipends, which should be awarded every month.
Students in higher education institutions in the Philipines, which are part of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) receive monthly stipends, which help cover a big part of their school-related expenses. Unfortunately, during semesters one and two of this school year, the allowance they were due came late by more than three or four months.
According to students and scholars, this has dramatically disrupted their educational process, as some of them had to go out and find a part-time job, to continue financing their courses and living. What is even more worrying is that some of the scholars also had to miss meals or take loans, to cover all their expenses.
Science students and stipends
Stipends and scholarships are the primary income for a large percentage of the students attending university. Many of them depend on this funding to cover their rent and living expenses.
A recent crisis with the scholarships offered by universities in Alaska caused a wave of panic, as many of the students attending higher education there depended on this source of income.
To avoid such escalations, UPD, and other universities in the Philipines should consider revising their payment structures in order to prevent such delays in the future. A delay of just one month can cost a student their accommodation, or food for this period of time, and this is not acceptable.
Science students are not the only ones affected by scholarship and stipends delays; however, they are the ones suffering in UPD at the moment. In order to avoid further situations like this one, which might affect other departments as well, UPD should work on improving their payment schemes and stipend administration process.
