Burmese students can now access higher education in the Philippines through the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). These scholarships provide opportunities in fields such as agriculture, engineering, hospitality management, and education, with Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas (LPU-B) selected as the partner institution for hospitality management.
The initiative is part of the USAID Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program (DISP), a five-year effort to offer regional and local scholarships across Asia, including Burma, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the Philippines. The DISP also ensures that students from vulnerable groups in Myanmar have access to diverse higher education opportunities through multimodal delivery systems.
In a significant milestone, Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) formalized their commitment to the USAID Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Program (DISP) by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Institute of International Education (IIE), DISP’s implementing contractor. The event, marking the program’s official launch in the Philippines, was attended by CHED Secretary Popoy De Vera and USAID-Philippines Director of the Office of Education Michelle Chen. CHED has been instrumental in streamlining admissions processes and providing comprehensive support services to ensure a smooth transition for students entering Philippine universities. Representing LPU-Batangas were Mr. Paolo S. Laurel, Vice President for Institutional Affairs/Officer-in-charge, Linkages, and International Affairs; Dr. Cecilia C. Pring, Vice President for Academics and Research; and Dr. Sergel I. Dacut, Supervisor of Linkages and International Affairs.
Currently, the DISP program in the Philippines hosts thirty-one (31) Burmese scholars, the largest number in the region, including five (5) students at LPU-B pursuing internationally recognized degrees in international travel and tourism management. More scholars are expected to join the program next academic year, solidifying the Philippines’ reputation as a hub for inclusive and globally competitive education.
