Youth Congress pledge help to bring back scholarships

Realizing the need to bring back scholarship programs that would encourage part time students at the Northern Marianas College to secure a degree, the 3rd CNMI Youth Congress disclosed plans to step in and assist government leaders create viable solutions to the long-standing problem.

Youth Congress Speaker Angel A. Demapan is proposing to create a special committee that would be solely tasked to look into other means to generate funding that would support non-full time students earning college credits at CNMI’s lone postsecondary institution.

The fresh move, according to Mr. Demapan, is part of the organization’s contribution in boosting the education system for the students of the Northern Marianas.

“The youth leadership’s main objective is education as a whole,” said Mr. Demapan.

The youth leader will appoint a special task force come the first Youth Congress session early next year that would oversee and assess different alternatives to address the scholarship issue.

Mr. Demapan sympathized with struggling NMC students who strive hard to joggle between their jobs, school work, and providing for their families, all at the same time.

Just last week, working students particularly those with families to raise expressed concerns that the termination of financial aid to part-time students has put them in a very difficult position.

“A lot of local individuals really want to come back to NMC although they have to put their jobs on top of their priority in order to support their families and pay for bills, food, and shelter,” aired an NMC student.

Student Council President Christine Fidelino, married and a mother of four, also echoed the same concerns.

“I work, I go to school, and I also take care of my family. Other working people would also like to return to school but they don’t have the funds for it since they have to support their families first. So I would really like to see the next administration focus on scholarships,” said the student leader.

Students are then calling for a change in scholarship policies that would make room for individuals interested in securing a college degree.

According to Mr. Demapan, supporting a more dependable scholarship system is an essential step toward producing CNMI’s own professionals.