OWWA opens 10,000 more scholarship slots for OFW dependents

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) on Monday announced the opening of 10,000 additional scholarship slots for qualified dependents of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and seafarers.

OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said the expansion was made possible after the agency’s trust fund reached ₱21.3 billion—the highest level recorded in its more than four decades of service.

OWWA currently offers about 15,000 scholarship slots, but, following a directive from the President to assist more OFW families, the agency increased the number by another 10,000 for this year.

OWWA administers three scholarship programs:

• Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP) – Provides a grant of up to ₱60,000 per school year until the completion of a college degree. Incoming freshmen are selected through national qualifying examinations conducted by the Department of Science and Technology;
• OFW Dependent Scholarship Program (ODSP) – Offers ₱20,000 per school year to qualified dependents who are enrolled or planning to enroll in a Philippine-based college or university. The OFW’s required monthly salary will follow guidelines to be issued by OWWA during each application period; and
• Congressional Migrant Workers Scholarship Program (CMWSP) – Designed for deserving migrant workers and their immediate descendants pursuing degrees in priority fields, particularly in science and technology.

The agency said the additional slots aim to expand educational opportunities for the children of OFWs and seafarers and further maximize the use of its record trust fund.—MCG, GMA Integrated News