This is a petition for the release of stipends/living allowances of CHED K12 Scholars

We the scholars would like to ask the Commission on Higher Education and the help of concerned offices (COA, DBM, Office of the President) the release of stipend of scholars under the CHED K12 Scholarship Program. While we respect and recognize the technicalities and problem of processing of the allowances, we would also like to communicate to you the plight and situation of scholars who have not yet received allowances for almost eight (8) months:

• Most are forced to borrow with more or less 10% interest just to attend to their classes and for their requirements
• Some were evicted from their boarding houses because they can no longer pay their rent fees
• Some would absent from their classes because they don’t have money for fare and food
• Some faced humiliation because of borrowing from one friend to another
• Some opted to give up their scholarship because they don’t have the financial back up due to late release of allowances
• Those who were enrolled in their Masters degree are about to take their thesis writing but they don’t have the money to start their research
• Some are already experiencing depression due to the pressure of sourcing out money to finish the semesterTop of Form

And these are the answers we received when we went to our CHED regional offices or when we called CHED central office hotline:

• Sorry, “tiis tiis muna kau”
• Commissioner Licuanan is out of the country, we need her signature for the processing of payment
• There are some suspensions from the COA
• There are papers that were not submitted and we are waiting for the regions to submit
• We don’t have the answer, just wait
• We can no longer answer your queries, just wait
• NO answer/ Hanged the phone with laughters on the background

We are confused on the real reason of the delay of our allowances. Giving us different answers will only increase anxiety and mental/emotional torture on our part.

We appreciate the effort of the commission to enhance and strengthen the status of higher education in the country through the scholarship program. While we the scholars are working hard to do our part to fulfil our commitment to the commission and to our SHEIs, we request the commission to do their part effectively and efficiently as agreed upon. We therefore, earnestly pray, wish, ask, and “beg” for the release of our allowances the soonest.