By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and University of St. La Salle (USLS)-Bacolod President and Chancellor, Bro. Joaquin Severino Martinez, led the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement for the third batch of Project Free – Paglaum Scholarship Program at USLS’s St. Brother Miguel Hall yesterday.

Other signatories were Bishop Patricio Buzon; Negros Occidental Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Marsette Sabbaluca; Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and USLS Project Free Director, Dr. Annabele Balor; and Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Magno.

The Project FREE, or the Flagships to Reach Educational Excellence – Paglaum Program, is a scholarship program initiated by the provincial government that is open to all public elementary and high school teachers in Negros Occidental who would like to avail of post-graduate studies. It is a joint partnership between the provincial government, USLS-Bacolod, Department of Education, and Commission on Higher Education.

“Education is the most important component of this administration and it is my utmost priority to strengthen our educational policies,” Lacson said.

The governor also said that the teachers’ responsibility to train globally competitive and efficient students has intensified and the challenge was aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Upgrading our teachers’ knowledge and skills is an investment for the future of our children,” he added.

Board Member Agustin Ernesto Bascon, chairman of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s Committee on Education, and Negros Occidental Scholarship Program Head, Karen Dinsay, were also present at the signing ceremony./DGB, WDJ