Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he wants to build Cebu City’s own college and plans to include funding for the project in next year’s budget.
“It’s about time that we pursue it (City College) with aggressiveness. The last time we identified an ideal area, it didn’t push through,” Rama said.
The mayor said he will ask Councilor Gerry Carillo to implement the program because Carillo “likes it too, even before” and was active in academic related projects like the Alternative Learning System (ALS).
A Cebu city ordinance was enacted in February 2012 creating a Cebu City College but was never realized.
Budget
Rama said he will call a meeting of the Local School Board (LSB) to discuss the city college proposal and review the city’s current scholarship program.
He assured that the program,which gives graduating high school seniors P10,000-per-semester for tuition in a college of his or her choice would still continue.
With a city college, Rama said there can be proper monitoring and supervision of the program, which was started by former mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Rama said he’d like to build it in the mountain barangay of Bonbon so local students won’t have to go down to the city proper to study.
“The Local School Board will have to be reminded of the city college project since we’re already preparing for the budget which will have to be done by October 15,” Rama said.
More graduates
The mayor said he needs to find out how many of the scholars actually finished their courses and how many had to stop.
“There should be more success stories. Out of so many thousands, how many haven’t finished? That’s the data I need. With that, we will revisit and focus so we will be able to produce more graduates,” Rama said.
“I’d rather think about people from other places who are serious enough with finishing their studies and working with Cebu City Hall than providing for our own (residents) but who aren’t serious about finishing their education,” Rama said.
Rama said his predecessor, Osmeña, initiated the scholarship program, which Rama continued when he became mayor.
Investment
Councilor Margot Osmeña said her husband strongly believes in giving all Cebuanos a chance to go to college.
“The seed was planted and it grew. Hopefully, it grows even more,” she said.
She said some beneficiaries of the college scholarship program were also graduates of the city’s task force on street children which she used to head.
“We’ve had the privilege of people actually personally thanking Tommy and myself. That’s significant. That’s not a one-time project, it’s an investment in the future of Cebu,” the councilor said.
Osmeña said they hope to see the program develop even more to include other graduates who had to stop studying due to personal reasons.
At present, the program is only offered to graduating students of public high schools in the city.
The program saw its first batch of baccalaureate graduates this year.
More than a hundred graduated with flying colors.
Some found jobs in established companies.