Prov’l gov’t supports education of 86 scholars in private university

The Negros Occidental provincial government is funding the education of 86 college students in partnership with private tertiary institution National University (NU) Bacolod.

Data from the Negros Occidental Scholarship Program (NOSP) Division showed that for academic year 2026-2027, some 53 students have been granted scholarships.

These include 10 students each enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Architecture and Civil Engineering, eight in Management Accounting and seven in Tourism Management.

Six are taking up Accountancy, and two are in Computer Science.

The 33 other scholars are continuing students who initially enrolled in the academic year 2025-2026.

“We, at NOSPD, continue to work cohesively to help transform lives and build better communities through the provision of access to education,” NOSP division head Karen Dinsay told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday.

The 86 scholars enjoy free full tuition and other school fees under a scholarship agreement for the Accelerating the Mission of Learning and Inclusive Growth (AMLIG) program forged between the province and NU Bacolod.

The five-year AMLIG scholarship program, worth up to PHP6.8 million annually, aims to benefit qualified NU Bacolod students residing in Negros Occidental for the academic years 2026-2027 to 2030-2031.

On Tuesday, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and NU Bacolod executive and academic director Ryan Joy Dizon led the signing of the memorandum of agreement for the implementation of the AMLIG scholarship program.

“The partnership reflects the provincial government’s commitment to ensuring that financial limitations do not prevent deserving Negrenses, particularly those from the countryside, from pursuing quality higher education.

He encouraged the scholars to take full advantage of the opportunity and become responsible students who will contribute to the development of their communities and the progress of Negros Occidental.

Among the grantees are Shaun Luague and Sundeep Kaur Singh, who expressed gratitude to the provincial government for giving them the opportunity to pursue their dreams of finishing college.* (Nanette Guadalquiver)