Teodoro bill seeks scholarships for teachers, children

Marikina City 1st District Rep. Marcelino "Marcy" Teodoro has filed a bill seeking to grant scholarship grants to all qualified public school teachers for the advancement of their profession, and to their children for their growth and development.

Under the House Bill No. 10954, or the "Public School Teachers Scholarship Grant Act," Teodoro wants to revive the measure, which was first filed in the 19th Congress, stressing that the country's educators deserve full and sustained support.

"During my years as Mayor of Marikina, I saw firsthand how our teachers labored to advance their own credentials—often pursuing further studies at their own expense and against real financial constraints—while still prioritizing the education of their own children ahead of their own advancement. It is time that the State shoulder more of this burden, so that our educators need not choose between their own growth and that of their families," Teodoro said in the bill's explanatory note.

Under the bill, all qualified public school teachers in all levels shall be granted a scholarship to any of the masters and doctorate courses offered in any state universities and colleges accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

The bill also proposes that "all qualified public school teachers may apply their children for a scholarship grant to the Department of Education (DepEd) for pre-school, elementary and secondary education in public schools within their city or municipality, or a scholarship grant to the Commission on Higher Education for tertiary education in any of the state universities and colleges nationwide."

Retired public school teachers may likewise apply for scholarships for their children from pre-school up to college. However, only legitimate, legitimated, or legally adopted children qualify, and they get 50 percent of the scholarship grant.

On top of free tuition, each beneficiary also gets a P20,000 stipend for books, uniforms, school supplies, and other educational materials.