For Colgate, the number 1 toothpaste brand in the Philippines*, having a brighter future goes beyond the basic needs of food, water, and shelter. As part of its commitment to help Filipino families have a future they can smile about, the ongoing Colgate Scholarship Promo 2017 is offering scholarship grants and other prizes worth over PHP4 million to help Filipino students with their education-related expenses.
According to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), as of June 8, 2017, there are only 233 public higher educational institutions (HEIs) compared to the 1,706 private HEIs nationwide. The number of HEIs is only able to accommodate approximately 18 percent of the Filipino youth, with only 3.6 million of the nearly 20 million youth in the country enrolled in higher education in 2017. Most Filipino youth are not pursuing higher education because of several factors, one of which is financial constraints.
“Colgate understands how important getting a degree is in shaping the future of millions of Filipino families. This is why Colgate is running the Colgate Scholarship Promo for the second year, with more winners and more prizes. We hope we can pave the way for the Filipino family to have a future they can smile about,” Kevin Sarmiento, Product Manager of Colgate-Palmolive Philippines, Inc. said.
The Cost of Education
So, how much does a college degree cost nowadays?
Based on CHED data, it may all depend on where you will enroll. According to the 2017 data from CHED, the average tuition fee per unit in private HEIs ranges from PHP 253 to PHP 1,208.
While President Rodrigo Duterte recently signed the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which guarantees free tuition and other miscellaneous fees for students in state universities and colleges (SUCs) across the country, this law will only take effect in school year 2018-19. Today, these SUCs still need to pay a tuition fee of PHP 58 to PHP 727 per unit depending on their region.
The Manual of Regulations for Private Higher Education states that a baccalaureate or college level degree includes three to five years in school. It adds that that there should be a minimum of 18 units per semester, at least two semesters per school year. This means that college tuition fees start at PHP 6,876 per year for a student in a public SCU in Region 3 and at least PHP 45,972 for a private HEI in NCR.
The tuition fee is just the most basic expense that families need to worry about. Often times, it is the miscellaneous and additional expenses that are the major roadblocks in a student’s journey towards achieving higher education, especially if he or she is already enrolled in a public HEI. These miscellaneous expenses that also need to be budgeted for by the student’s family include fees for registration, seminars, information technology and laboratory use. Then, there are also the practical day-to-day expenses such as transportation and communication (i.e. mobile phone and internet connectivity), daily food allowance, uniform or clothing needs, school supplies and additional budget for projects, field trips and other school activities that put a toll on the finances of the family. In addition, if the school is located far from where the family lives, dorm or boarding house expenses also need to be considered.
Soaring High with Hope
In 2016, Maribel Pansamba joined the Colgate Scholarship Promo for her son, Arnold Joshua, an incoming 3rd year college student in the Asian International School of Aeronautics and Technology in Davao City. She was one of the 25 grand prize winners. “My son wants to be a pilot one day and winning the PHP 100,000 scholarship grant from Colgate takes him closer to achieving that dream of one day soaring high,” she said.
With the return of the Colgate Scholarship Promo this 2017, Colgate aims to help more Filipino families with similar stories like that of the Pansamba family. Visit the Colgate Philippines’ Facebook page to find out the full details of the Colgate Scholarship Promo 2017 and the amazing prizes that are up for grabs.
Promo is ongoing until September 3, 2017, as per DOH-FDA CCRR Permit No. 818 s. 2016.
*IPSOS Dentist Recommendation Survey 2017
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