State pension fund Government Service Insurance System is set to open a yearly P100-million educational subsidy program for children or dependents of its low-income members through the GSIS Educational Subsidy Program.
“In support of the social development policy of President Duterte to provide wider access to quality college education to the marginalized sector, GSIS aims to augment the means of its low-income members in sending their children or dependents to college through the grant of a P10,000 yearly allowance through GESP.
It complements Republic Act No. 10931 or the 2017 Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education which provides free tuition and miscellaneous fees to enrollees of state colleges and universities. To extend aid to more recipients, we are offering GESP to a wide number of members. We will select 10,000 children or dependents of members with the lowest annual basic salary from among the applicants nationwide,” GSIS chairman and concurrent acting president and general manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said.
The pension fund chief said that the program is open to all active GSIS members with permanent employment status who are occupying salary grade 24 (or its equivalent) and below; with updated GSIS premium payments and no unpaid or underpaid loan amortization for more than three months for the duration of the grant; and have college student dependents in any year level who have been accepted in or taking up any four- or five-year course in any university or college recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“The grantees will continue to receive educational subsidy until they finish their college course for as long as they meet the scholastic requirement of 80% general weighted average with no failing grade or incomplete mark incurred in any subject within the preceding semester or term of the academic year,” Macasaet added.
GSIS will release the allowance to the students through electronic crediting to their account at the Land Bank of the Philippines that will be opened by GSIS for the purpose.
Interested members may apply by submitting the GESP application form that may be downloaded from the GSIS website (www.gsis.gov.ph), dependent’s birth certificate issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority, and certificate of employment of the member and/or certified true copy of service record duly signed by the Agency Authorized Officer of the member’s employer.
In addition, they should submit an affidavit stating that the student is not a recipient of any other educational or financial assistance program (including the GSIS Scholarship program) for the duration of the grant, a certification from the school stating that that the student is accepted or enrolled during the current academic year along with the student’s course, year level and the duration of the course, and a report card or school certification stating that the general weighted average of the applicant’s dependent is at least 80% with no failing grade and incomplete mark incurred in any subject within the preceding semester or term of the academic year.
Application forms, requirements, and terms and conditions are available online through the GSIS website, www.gsis.gov.ph. Interested members may email gsisscholarship@gsis.gov.ph or call (02) 8-976-4970 for inquiries or clarifications.