MISAMIS ORIENTAL — Local governments, national agencies, and civil society groups across Mindanao have launched a series of targeted programs aimed at expanding college education access, pioneering mental health training and enforcing smoke-free zones for youth.

In Lanao del Sur, the provincial government launched its “Ranaw Iskolar” program to send students from low-income households to major universities outside the region, targeting long-standing shortages of specialized professionals.

The program will initially support 15 scholars, prioritizing high-demand fields not readily available within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, including occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, special needs education, speech-language pathology, veterinary medicine and nutrition.

Scholars will attend partner institutions in Cebu, including the University of San Carlos, Cebu Doctors’ University, and Southwestern University PHINMA.

Dr. Caroline Tanog Maruhom, an education program supervisor for the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education, said the scholarship covers tuition, board and lodging, and a monthly allowance.

Eligibility is limited to public school graduates with a minimum general weighted average of 85 percent to 90 percent, depending on the school category, with priority given to orphans, solo-parent households, and families earning less than P15,000 monthly.

“We are preparing our province for the future by equipping Meranaw youth with skills that make them globally competitive,” Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr. said. Scholars are required to render return service to their communities after graduation.

Meanwhile, in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, the city government has become the first local unit in the country to pilot emotional intelligence training for educators and students.

The “Project 12” program, organized by the Human Project Foundation, trained teachers across the Malaybalay Division in emotional resilience, empathy, and conflict management. The framework was originally deployed across 59 schools in the United States.

Malaybalay Mayor Jay Warren Pabillaran said the training was funded through a supplemental budget, adding, “It is high time we give equal weight to students’ emotional development alongside their academic progress.”

Complementing these education and wellness initiatives, the Department of Health Center for Health Development Northern Mindanao is pushing for stricter enforcement of smoke-free and anti-vaping policies to protect youth.