Gov’t starts DSWD educational assistance program pay-outs

By Rey Anthony Chiu | 05:52 PM August 20, 2022

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) starts its payout for Boholanos who are eligible for the Students Educational Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), at the Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) Bohol Office in Poblacion II, here Saturday, August 20.

According to the DSWD Region VII, those paid were those who were listed on the previous day and scheduled for August 20.

On this, the social welfare agency, in an advisory clarified that this is a financial aid for the education of certain eligible people, and not a scholarship, as what many people believed.

The Students’ Educational AICS can be used on the student’s school needs like school fees, school supplies, projects allowances and other fees, according to the DSWD.

Application to the Students AICS financial assistance can be done through walk-in, by visiting the local DSWD SWAD Bohol Office and filing the application or through email by sending the request to swad-bohol.fo7@dswd.gov.ph.

For emails, the DSWD will send a confirmation email, which will contain the date and place to claim the assistance as well as the requirements one needs to submit, to qualify for the validation.

For the application, these must be affixed with the student’s proof of enrollment, authorization letter (if the applicant is not available), Valid ID of parent, guardian as well as students who are in college or taking vocational courses.

On this too, the DSWD has already hinted that the educational assistance program is financial aid for the education of certain eligible people, and is not available for all.

Back in March of 2018, DSWD has clarified that they were not offering a scholarship; they were offering a type of educational assistance for indigent students and other qualified students, its aid in a press material.

In yet another earlier announcement, DSWD Secretary Erwin Tulfo said that people who are qualified to avail the DSWD educational assistance program are breadwinners, working students, those who have no family and are living with relatives, children of solo parents, those whose parents are jobless, children of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), children of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), children of HIV victims, victims of domestic abuse, and victims of natural disasters.

Only three children from each household are entitled to apply and enroll in the DSWD Educational Assistance Program, according to the DSWD.

Prior to the payout, the DSWD is set to verify and validate the application.

The DSWD Educational Assistance Program is open to elementary or grade school students, high school students, and vocational/college level students.

As to the program, elementary students will receive P1,000; high school students will get P2,000, senior high school students get P3,000 while vocational and college level students whose application for the assistance gets approved, will get P4,000.

For the Students Educational AICS payouts, these would be done from August 20, and the succeeding Saturdays: August 27, September 3, 10, 17 and 24,” Sec. E. Tulfo said in his Facebook post. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)