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The Impact of the SEAMEO SEARCA Graduate Scholarship Program on Fellows of Selected Institutions in the Philippines
Abstract:
Since 1969, the member countries of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization have benefited from SEAMEO Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture's human resource development efforts through its Graduate Scholarship Program. This study aimed to determine the impact of SEARCA's Graduate Scholarship Program on fellows (former SEARCA scholars) of selected institutions in the Philippines. Data were obtained from 169 fellows and 180 fellows' supervisors using two sets of questionnaires.
Results of the study revealed that the Program had a significant impact on the SEARCA fellows in terms of position/rank; salary; research management and technical skills, self-confidence; career opportunities; awards/recognition; and performance in research and extension. It also had a significant impact on the institution by way of the fellows' achievements in the development or enhancement of instruction, research, and extension programs. There was no significant impact on the fellows' teaching performance, communication skills, and work loads in teaching, research, and extension.
Overall, the Program was perceived by both SEARCA fellows and their supervisors as "very useful" in terms of developing human resources, considering the achievements of SEARCA fellows. The study recommended the following: 1) strengthening of fellows' network for collaborative activities and information sharing to achieve the "trickle-down effect" on the beneficiaries of the Program; 2) a review of degree of programs for scholarship to make them relevant to the needs of the country; 3) exploring possibilities for a re-entry program for SEARCA fellows to ensure continued and sustained application of fellows' training and expertise in their respective workplaces; 4) inclusion of short and long-term agricultural human resource development plans in the general plan of the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports; 5) closer coordination of DECS and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) with other government agencies involved in agriculture, science, and technology; and 6) allocation of bigger budgets for teacher training, staff development, curriculum development, and R&D programs of agricultural colleges and universities.
