– PNA News
ANTIPOLO CITY, Rizal – Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato T. dela Peña on Tuesday urged both public and private colleges and universities in the country to offer more science and technology (S&T) degree courses to avail of the department’s grants-in-aid program for research.
“The DOST strategy is to go out to the regions to expand our research pool,” de la Peña said in his keynote address at the inauguration ceremony of the Provincial Science and Technology Center (PSTC) Rizal Building and the Regional Design and Creativity Hub for Innovation in MSMEs (micro, small, medium enterprises) and Education (RDCHIME) located inside the University of Rizal Systems (URS) Antipolo Campus in San Roque village in this city.
Dela Peña said that of the more than 2,000 public and private colleges and universities in the country, only 85 had availed of the support of the department for the conduct of research projects.
“We want them to develop their own research projects based on the needs and opportunities in their area,” he said noting that a university in Isabela province, which is into fisheries and aquatic resources studies, was granted support for its freshwater eel research while a university in Nueva Ecija has been granted support for its citrus research and development.
He also encouraged collaboration with other established universities on research projects.
Dela Peña also said that the DOST partnered with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the establishment of masters and doctorate degree programs in some universities that pass their evaluation, where scholarships are available for qualified applicants.
He explained that qualified individuals will now have a chance to pursue higher degrees near their homes without going to the rigors of transferring their families, which sometimes deter their plans of getting higher education.
Likewise, he informed that in collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd), the DOST helped in capacitating mathematics and science teachers.
He also encouraged students to take courses that will enable them to teach mathematics and science, as there are scholarships being offered by the DOST.
