SU and SPUD ink MOA as CHED’s DHEIs for SIKAP scholars
The Commission on Higher Education Regional Office (CHEDRO) – Negros Island Region (NIR) inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Silliman University (SU) and St. Paul University Dumaguete (SPUD) on August 7, 2025, mandating the two Dumaguete-based universities to be Delivering Higher Education Institutions (DHEIs) for CHED’s Staff and Instructors’ Knowledge Advancement Program (SIKAP).
Dr. Raul C. Alvarez, Jr., CHEDRO-NIR regional director, was joined by Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, SU president, and Sr. Mila Grace Silab, SPUD president, at the CHEDRO-NIR Office.
Under the Agreement, SU and SPUD will receive CHED-funded scholars, also known as SIKAP Grant Scholars, beginning in Academic Year (AY) 2025-2026.
CHED’s grant provides opportunities for HEI teaching personnel or former HEI teaching personnel who wish to go back to the academe to acquire their advanced degrees, “provided they qualify with the Eligibility Criteria and Qualifying and Selection Process.”
CHEDRO-NIR Regional Director Dr. Raul C. Alvarez, Jr. (center) leads the signing of the MOA with SU and SPUD.
According to CHED’s eligibility requirements, applicants must be currently teaching in a higher education institution (HEI) or have done so within the last 12 months. They should not hold any administrative or managerial position, or work full-time in a non-HEI government or private sector job.
If applying as a full-time scholar, applicants must study full-time and show proof that their employer will release them from all work duties during the scholarship. As a part-time scholar, applicants can only work up to 12 teaching units or 20 hours a week.
More importantly, applicants must also be accepted into a graduate program that matches their teaching field, unless it’s a specialized or new field with strong justification approved by CHED.
SU and SPUD, both Private HEIs, are eligible to offer the SIKAP Program for their autonomous and deregulated statuses, respectively, as recognized by CHED.
Dr. Betty Cernol McCann receives the Certificate of Recognition as one of SIKAP Program’s DHEIs from Dr. Raul C. Alvarez, Jr., CHEDRO-NIR regional director, together with Glynnis Jean C. Casiño, Strategic Partnership and Enterprise Development officer-in-charge. Alvarez is joined by the CHEDRO-NIR personnel.
The Agreement also mandates SU and SPUD to submit a complete budget plan to CHED. This budget plan, called the Work and Financial Plan (WFP), must show how much money is needed to run each scholarship program and must include an extra 5% for administrative expenses, which is based on the total cost of running the program.
The DHEI must make things easy for the scholars and should not ask them to pay any extra fees like down payments. It must also help process important documents quickly, especially those related to releasing the scholars’ financial support, and ensure eligible scholars stay enrolled and follow the scholarship rules.
Finally, the DHEI should offer all the classes and requirements listed in the scholars’ study plans, including exams and practicum, send billing statements to CHED for tuition payments, and assign staff to manage the scholarship program through the creation of a Scholarship Management Office (SMO).
CHEDRO-NIR’s Regional Director Alvarez (left) shares a brief chat with SU’s McCann and SPUD’s Silab minutes after the MOA signing.
Together with McCann at the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement were Glynnis Jean C. Casiño, Strategic Partnership and Enterprise Development officer-in-charge, and Aaron James Jalalon, editor of the Office of Media and Public Affairs.
Subsequent details about the SIKAP Grant Scholarship application process at Silliman University will be released soon.
