THE COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHED) XI and Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) awarded more than 300 graduates during the Scholarship Program for Coconut Farmers and Their Families (CoScho) Scholars’ Summit on Wednesday, Oct. 14, held at the Grand Men Seng Hotel.
Scholars of CoScho from regions XI, XII, Caraga, and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) attended the summit along with higher education institutions and officials of PCA and CHED regional offices.
As the next generation of changemakers, they are expected to lead as scientists, engineers, innovators, teachers, health professionals, public servants, entrepreneurs, and community leaders in the coconut industry.
CHED RO XI regional director Dr. Maricar Casquejo congratulated the scholars for their dedication to their studies, making their families proud, and proving that the CoScho is a success.
“Today, we celebrate dreams, we celebrate opportunities, and most importantly, we celebrate the hopes of coconut farming families who believe that education can change the course of their children’s lives,” Dr. Aldrin Darilag, department manager II of the PCA Program Management Office, said in his inspirational message.
The program also held a financial literacy discussion and business proposal workshop to help the scholars connect with the summit’s partners, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Land Bank of the Philippines.
The CoScho is managed by CHED in partnership with PCA and is under the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP).
The partnership aims for educational and agricultural development focusing on scholarships, graduation, opportunities, and community impact.
Target beneficiaries of the initiative are registered coconut farmers in the National Coconut Farmers Registry System (NCFRS) or a legitimate dependent (spouse or child) of a registered farmer.
Eligible programs are undergraduate degrees in agriculture and other related fields.