President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday announced during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) that high school students who graduate with high honors will become recipients of a presidential merit scholarship.
“We will award presidential merit scholarships to high school graduates who will receive high honors,” Mr. Marcos said in Filipino.
The President made the announcement after saying that 114 higher education institutions (HEIs) are currently recognized worldwide, of which 60 are public schools.
This is a significant increase from only 22 in 2022, according to him.
“If we are only talking about quality, our universities and colleges in the country won’t be left behind,” Marcos said.
He added that around P60 billion in funds will be allocated again for free education in 2026.
