Cordillera SUCs push for 12 courses to be included in scholarship priority list

Baguio City, Philippines – State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in Cordillera are pushing for the inclusion of 12 courses in the list of priority programs for scholarship eligibility under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Merit Scholarship Program (CMSP).

The initiative was raised during the 2025 Second quarter meeting of the Regional Development Council’s (RDC) Regional Social Development Committee (RSDC), where SUCs sought endorsement of several critical courses.

Reclassification of priority courses under CHED Memo

The call for inclusion of the 12 identified courses stemmed from the CHED Memorandum Order No. 7, series of 2023, which outlines an updated list of priority programs for scholarship funding from academic year 2023-2024 to 2027-2028.

Under the memorandum, courses essential for community development and governance in the region were excluded. These are agriculture, forestry, criminology, development communication, political science, history, English, elementary education, technical and vocational teacher education, business administration, office administration, and public administration.

Without their priority status, said courses no longer qualify for CHED scholarship support under CMSP. This raised concerns among the institutions.

SUCs call for reconsideration

The SUCs turned to RSDC for support, highlighting that the omission of such programs threatens not only scholarship access and institutional competitiveness but also funding opportunities and the long-term development agenda of the region.

Vice-President for Academic Affairs of Ifugao State University, Mary C. Caclini, explained that the shift made it difficult for them to meet the key performance indicators of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), specifically in maintaining high enrolment rates in government-prioritized academic tracks.

Recognizing that there is a gap between national priorities and regional development needs, the RSDC, in response, approved a resolution formally endorsing the inclusion of the 12 courses for CHED scholarship consideration.