To ensure that young Dabawenyos, especially Indigenous People (IP) students, enjoy equal access to quality education, the City Government of Davao has several scholarship programs that prioritize members of the lumad groups in the city through the Educational Benefit System Unit (EBSU), and the City College of Davao.
For the Academic Year (A.Y) 2025-2026, EBSU is opening 200 slots for the Financial Assistance Program for IPs following the addition of another 100 slots from its previous 100.
Qualified IP students are entitled to a P7,500 worth of financial assistance.
During the A.Y. 2022-2023, EBSU recorded a total of 100 beneficiaries during the first semester, and 89 during the second semester.
For A.Y. 2023-2024, 91 IP students were able to avail of the financial assistance during the first semester, and 80 during the second semester.
A total of 80 IP students availed of EBSU’s Financial Assistance for IPs during the first semester of A.Y. 2024-2025, and 66 others during the 2nd semester.
To apply for EBSU’s Financial Assistance for IPs, interested IP students need to bring their National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) certificate in addition to the STEP-FA requirements.
For the A.Y. 2025-2026, application period starts on April 21. Details will be posted in the Official Facebook Page of the City Government of Davao.
EBSU also grants a P5,000 worth of financial assistance to 100 IP students through the Special Education Assistance Program (SEAP) under the Iskolar ng Tribu program of the Indigenous People Mandatory Representative (IPMR) since A.Y. 2023-2024.
The Iskolar ng Tribu under the IPMR does not provide direct cash assistance to IP students, rather, it endorses them to partner Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through a Memorandum of Agreement granting tuition subsidies based on available slots.
The program also caters to Moro students in the city.
Currently, the program has 315 IP and Moro students beneficiaries.
The City College of Davao (CCD) also offers free tuition to Dabawenyo students with IP students being a priority in their admissions.
For the 2nd semester of A.Y. 2024-2025, 205 IP students are enrolled in the CCD. A total of 98 students are beneficiaries of the Iskolar sa Tribu Program.
Estephanie Sandra Mambagtian, one of the IP scholars in CCD, thanked to the city government for the scholarship grants that a lot of IP students were able to avail.
“Such a blessing gyud nga makasulod diri sa City College of Davao kay dili tanan eskwelahan libre, tapos diri libre wala’y bayad. Helpful gyud siya (It’s such a blessing to be able to study here in the City College of Davao because not all schools offer free education. This is very helpful for us),” she said.
Application for CCD’s readiness assessment is ongoing and will run until April 23, while the readiness assessment for incoming students is scheduled on April 26 and April 27.
Further details on the readiness assessment application may be viewed through this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FUVHwpokF/. CIO
