Molding the S&T Workforce: Analysis on the Implementation of Republic Act 7687 Among University of the Philippines Los Baños Undergraduate DOST Scholars

Abstract

In the Philippines, the lack of access to education of the youth is seen as one of the salient concerns of the economy, hence, affects the socio-economic development of the country. This problem occurs from the poor implementation of policies and programs and lack of government support and initiatives which evidently are the root causes of the slow improvement of the Philippine education system. This study aims to assess the implementation of Republic Act 7687 or the act that institutionalizes the science and technology scholarship in the country in relation to the actual experiences of the UPLB undergraduate DOST scholars. In support to this, the actors involved in the policy implementation including the DOST-SEI and UPLB-OUR were also considered in this study. The specific issues and challenges towards the DOST scholarships were also discussed in this paper to help in improving the effectiveness of the Republic Act 7687 as a policy.  To achieve the objectives of the study, the researchers employed both survey and structured interview research designs. Results showed that, in general, the student respondents are satisfied with how RA 7687 is being implemented at UPLB. However, the long and stringent process of the university’s registration and late issuance of Form 5 and delay in the release of scholars’ stipend/allowance became the major concerns of the respondents. Thus, researchers provided specific recommendations for DOST-SEI and UPLB-OUR to improve their system and process, specifically in managing the RA 7687 or the DOST Scholarship Program.