SEVENTEEN new Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) scholars attended in person and online a hybrid orientation meeting for Academic Year 2024-2025 on Oct. 21, 2024.
The new scholars pursuing master's and doctoral degrees were six from the Philippines, six from Indonesia, two from Cambodia, one from Malaysia, one from Myanmar and one from Liberia.
The orientation meeting was organized by the SEARCA Center through its Graduate Scholarship and Institutional Development Unit under the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD-GSIDU).
The orientation featured a briefing on SEARCA and its programs and activities followed by specific discussions about the policies and guidelines in the administration of the SEARCA graduate scholarship program.
Maria Cristeta Cuaresma, PhD, ECLD senior program head, discussed the scholarship process and administration policies throughout their study program, including other benefits extended to them.
The scholars' benefits include support for paper presentations, publication fees, customized training activities, and other learning events.
Cuaresma also highlighted the important factors that each scholar should consider to become a successful graduate student.
These include maintaining good academic standing, timely submission of required documents and graduating on time.
Since 1968, SEARCA has been providing scholarship grants for Southeast Asian nationals from Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization (Seameo) member countries to pursue advanced studies leading to master's and doctoral degrees in agriculture, forestry, and related sciences.
SEARCA has awarded 1,962 graduate scholarships as of 2024.
Of this total, 1,710 (971 MS and 739 PhD) scholars have completed their graduate studies.