LEGAZPI CITY – The Albay Provincial government here has announced  the implementation starting school year 2010-2011 of its Albay Education Contribution Scheme (AHECS), a novel education assistance program for deserving students from this province.  

AHECS aims to help qualified Albayano student to pursue and earn college degrees or complete two-year technical education programs that will make them competitive in the quality jobs market. It forms part of the Education Quality for Albayanos (EQUAL)  project that promotes universal access to education for its youth.

AHECS, for which P16 million has been set aside for the 2020-2011 school year, will initially be made available to students in local community colleges and Bicol University and its satellite campuses. The province has likewise earmarked P328 million for other educational assistance for the period.

Albay Gov. Joey S. Salceda said the provincial government will implement AHECS starting this year with a concessional loan facility, patterned after an Australian model that will also motivate students to finish high school since  there is an assurance of easy access to tertiary education.

Salceda explained the term concessional is used to mean the provincial government will help provide only part of the student’s school fees. Under the program he added, AHECS will extend P5,000 as loan assistance per semester of study.

He stressed that every Albayano family deserves to produce at least one fully educated child deserving and capable of leading a rightful and productive life in society. “And so the provincial government also intends to help meet their learning needs,” the governor explained.

Salceda said AHECS grantees must finish their courses of study and keep in touch with the provincial government which it must regularly update on their personal circumstances like change of address or name as in the case of female beneficiaries who may get married.

The AHECS rules provide that loans shall bear an interest of 10 percent per annum, payment for which shall be demandable after the completion of the study program or when the grantee gets employed. The rules also state that if the grantee stops it shall be considered a breach of agreement and the parents are immediately obliged to settle the loan availed of.

The program also has a monitoring scheme that will track the employment of graduates in cooperation with relatives, Social Security System (SSS), Government Services and Insurance System (GSIS), national statistics Office (NSO) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC).