Seventeen new SEARCA scholars pursuing master's and doctoral degrees attended the hybrid orientation meeting held face to face at the SEARCA headquarters and online via Zoom on 21 October 2024. The new scholars were from Cambodia (2), Indonesia (6), Malaysia (1), Myanmar (1), the Philippines (6), and Liberia (1).
Organized by the Center through its Graduate Scholarship and Institutional Development Unit under the Education and Collective Learning Department (ECLD-GSIDU), the orientation featured a briefing on SEARCA and its programs and activities followed by specific discussions about the policies and guidelines in the administration of the SEARCA graduate scholarship program.
Dr. Maria Cristeta N. Cuaresma, Senior Program Head of ECLD, discussed the scholarship process and administration policies throughout their study program, including other benefits extended to them, such as support for paper presentations, publication fees, customized training activities, and other learning events. Furthermore, Dr. Cuaresma highlighted the important factors that each scholar should consider to become successful graduate students, which include maintaining good academic standing, timely submission of required documents, and graduating on time.
Since 1968, SEARCA has been providing scholarship grants for Southeast Asian nationals from SEAMEO member countries to pursue advanced studies leading to master's and doctoral degrees in agriculture, forestry, and related sciences. As of the academic year 2023–24, SEARCA has awarded 1,962 graduate scholarships. Of this total, 1,710 (971 MS, 739 PhD) scholars have completed their graduate studies.