SOP Library
SOP NO:
HR-CD08
(List of Exhibits/Attachments)
Missi
on
:
Finance and Administration
Area:
Human Resource (HR)
Activity:
Career Development and Performance Evaluation (HR-CD)
Title:
SOP on Local and Foreign Scholarships
Date Approved/Issued:
06/06/2019
Date Effective:
06/06/2019
Digest:
I. TERMS OF REFERENCE
A. Rationale
B. Objective
C. Scope
D. Basis
II. IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES
D. Definition of Terms :
1. Scholarship Program/Scholarship Grant
–
A
local or foreign scholarship program/grant being offered by a Philippine Institute/Agency such as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) etc., a foreign host country, or a private institution/agency in a foreign country. It shall include college degree courses, master’s degree courses and doctorate degree courses. The scholarship program’s/grant’s objectives should relate to the NFA’s mission/vision and the employees’ career development needs.
Scholarship Program/Scholarship Grant shall not be considered as study leave which is defined as
“a time off from work not exceeding six (6) months with pay for the purpose of assisting qualified NFA officials and employees to prepare for their bar or board examinations or to complete their master’s/doctorate degree
” based on the latest approved SOP on Leave of Absence. A study leave shall be subject to the provisions of the said SOP.
Assistantship shall not be considered as scholarship by NFA. Assistantship is “
a way for a graduate student to work for a university in his or her chosen field, generally while being paid a small stipend in combination with the bonus of free tuition fee
”
(
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-graduate-assistanship.htm
).
Examples are Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants. Assistantships shall not be allowed by NFA.
2. Scholarship Contract - A contract executed by an official/employee where he/she undertakes to fulfill the terms and conditions enumerated therein, in consideration of the privilege/authority granted to him/her to avail of a local or foreign scholarship on official time with pay.
3. Service Obligation -
An obligation of an official/employee to serve the agency for a specified period in consideration of his/her acceptance of a local or foreign scholarship grant.
4. Head of Office – highest ranking position in the Department/Field Office/Head of Executive Office.
5. Applicant – official/employee applying for a scholarship but not yet nominated by his/her Head of Office.
6. Nominee – official/employee nominated by his/her Head of Office to HRMD to avail of a scholarship grant/program.
7. Grantee – official/employee who was recommended as scholar by the NFA Scholarship Committee.
8. Remuneration – compensation/gratuities for the work done by the grantee, i.e. salaries, allowances, 13
th
month pay and other benefits allowed.
9. Incapacity – the grantee’s inability/disability to do his/her functions.
II.
IMPLEMENTING GUIDELINES
A. Management of the Grant of Local/Foreign Scholarships
1. The HRMD – Manpower Development Division (HRMD-MDD) shall be primarily responsible in the implementation of this SOP. As in-charge of the overall management of the grant of local and foreign scholarships, it has the following functions :
a. Evaluation of invitations to Local and Foreign Scholarship programs;
b. Information dissemination;
c. Recommendation/Submission of nominees for approval of the Administrator;
d. Monitoring of compliance to documentation requirements;
e. Monitoring of compliance to service obligations;
f. Enforcement of sanctions for non-compliance to documentary requirements, service obligations and other provisions of the SOP on the Grant of Local and Foreign Scholarships; and
g. Evaluation of the Re-entry Action Planning (REAP) and recommendation of the same for approval of the Administrator.
B. Invitations for Local/Foreign Scholarships
1. The HRMD shall be primarily responsible for sourcing invitations and other information regarding local/foreign scholarship and its dissemination to NFA central and field offices.
2. All invitations, applications and nominations to Local and Foreign Scholarship Programs shall be coursed through HRMD-MDD for evaluation and screening. Applications and nominations for Local/Foreign Scholarship Programs that did not pass through HRMD for evaluation and screening shall be disapproved.
Approval by the Administrator shall precede the commencement of the program.
In the event that the applicant proceed with his/her scholarship without the approval of the Administrator through HRMD, such absences for the time spent to his/her attendance to the course shall be charged to his/her vacation leave credits.
3. HRMD shall evaluate the invitations in relation to NFA’s mandate,
mission, vision, strategic priorities and determine the relevant positions to the scholarship grant. The following shall be considered in the evaluation :
a. The agency’s thrust/directions;
b. NFA manpower development plan;
c. Relevance of the local / foreign scholarship to the need of the department/office of the applicant; and
d. The local and foreign scholarship grants should require no expense on the part of NFA except for the salaries and allowances, and other benefits allowed, subject to usual auditing rules and regulations.
4. Invitations received and nominations to scholarship of offices shall be directly forwarded by the Heads of Offices to the HRMD, for evaluation.
The department/office may include their nominee in the endorsement using the same criteria in item II.C.1 of the SOP. However, the nomination shall still be subject to evaluation and screening of the HRMD.
C. Evaluation of Nominees for the Grant of Local/Foreign Scholarships
1. The concerned Head of Office shall select and recommend applicants for local and foreign scholarships based on the following criteria :
a. The applicant must meet the qualifications set by the sponsoring agency;
b. The applicant must not have any pending administrative and/or criminal charges;
c. The function of the department/office shall not be hampered by prolonged leave of absence by the applicant;
d. The applicant has already finished his/her existing service obligation for scholarship, if any;
e. He / She must be able to render the required service obligation before or when he/she reaches the retirement age of sixty (60) years old;
f. The profession or field of study to be pursued must be relevant to the needs of the department/office, or has a direct impact on NFA’s mandate, programs and projects, or to the duties and responsibilities of the concerned applicant;
g. The scholarship grant should require no expense on the part of NFA, except for the salaries, allowances and benefits to which the applicant would be entitled;
h. For local scholarship, applicant must have rendered at least two (2) years of continuous service with NFA or with other government agency as a permanent employee (if the applicant is formerly in another government agency before working with NFA) and must have at least a Very Satisfactory rating for the last two (2) rating periods; and
i. For foreign scholarship, applicant should have rendered at least five (5) years of continuous service with NFA as a permanent employee and must have at least a Very Satisfactory rating for the last two (2) rating periods.
2. The Head of Office shall see to it that slots are equally distributed among employees in their respective departments/offices. The applicant’s areas for development should also be considered in the selection of nominee; and
3. An official/employee, after availing of a previous scholarship for Master’s Degree, may avail of a scholarship for another Master’s Degree, or a Doctorate Degree, for the duration of his/her service to NFA subject to the same conditions stated under item II.C.1.
4. Officials/Employees who applied for local/foreign scholarship on their own and have already passed the qualifying exam of the sponsoring agency should be properly endorsed by the concerned Head of Office to the HRMD. HRMD – MDD shall evaluate first the scholarship program and the nominee using the same criteria specified under Item II.C.1
D. Creation of a Scholarship Committee
The evaluation and screening of participants to scholarship shall be conducted by a Scholarship Committee. It shall be created to be composed of the following :
Chairperson : Assistant Administrator for Finance and
Administration
Members : Department Manager, HRMD
Department Manager, CPMSD
Department Manager, BTFMD
Department Manager, ASD
Department Manager, LAD
E. Restrictions/Limitations in Selecting Nominees :
a. Section 16, Rule VIII, Career and Personnel Development, Book V of EO 292 and its Omnibus Rules, as Amended, of the Civil Service Law and Rules provides that “
In no case shall female nominees be discriminated against in the availment of local and/or foreign scholarship/training grants or any human resource development opportunity. As such, pregnant women and married women with a child or children irrespective of age shall be considered for nomination/selection in scholarship/training grants, both local and foreign”.
b. Section 15 Rule VIII, Book V, EO 292 also provides as follows:
“Employees with permanent appointment shall be given preference in the selection and nomination of candidates for training grants both within the country and abroad”.
“
Non-permanent employees may subsequently be allowed to attend local or foreign training programs or scholarship grants provided they fall under any of the following categories” :
b.1 “
Employees engaged in highly scientific field critical to national development where there are only few educationally qualified personnel as certified by the DOST;” and
b.2 “
Employees who have been personally invited by a sponsoring entity or who are proposed for nomination by agencies which have been directly invited by a foreign entity to avail of its training/scholarship grants
”.
F. Approval of Nominations for Local/Foreign Scholarships
1. All nominations for local/foreign scholarship shall be recommended by the HRMD prior to the approval of the Administrator. HRMD shall inform the department / regional / provincial office of the approval of the nomination.
2. The approved nominations shall be endorsed by NFA thru HRMD to the sponsoring agency (CSC/DOST/CHED, DAP, etc.)/country.
G. Local/Foreign Scholarship Contract
1. Local/Foreign Scholarship Contract shall be allowed for a maximum period of two (2) years.
2. Participants to local/foreign scholarship shall sign a Local/Foreign Scholarship Contract (
Exhibit A
) and shall bind himself/herself to the conditions stated in the Contract before the start of the program.
Copy distribution for both local and foreign scholarship contracts shall be as follows :
Copy 1 - Employee
- HRMD - MDD
4 - Sponsoring Agency (ex. CSC/DOST/CHED/DAP)
5 - Employee’s RAM/RAO/PAO; and
6 - ASD
3. The official/employee shall bind himself/herself to the conditions stated in the Scholarship Contract. Failure of the official/employee to fulfill the conditions provided therein shall be sufficient cause for the disqualification/cancellation of his/her scholarship and his/her recall. Should disqualification/cancellation be due to his/her own fault or willful neglect, he/she shall be obligated to refund to NFA in full such sum of money that may have been defrayed by the Philippine Government and/or sponsor, transportation and other expenses incidental to the scholarship grant, including his / her salaries and allowances and other benefits received while on scholarship.
4. To enforce a stricter and more binding commitment between the agency and the grantee and to defray the total cost of expenditures, a contract shall include at least three (3) guarantors, one of the guarantors should be a relative of the grantee, such as, but not limited to the spouse if married, parents or sibling of major age who has a capacity to pay, if single. Two (2) of the co-makers should be NFA employees having the same salary or higher as the grantee.
The HRMD and ASD shall assess and evaluate the nominated three (3) guarantors of the scholarship grantee as to whether said guarantors are capable to assume the financial obligations in case of failure of the grantee to perform his/her financial obligations under the scholarship contract.
5. Local/Foreign Scholarship Contract and Re-entry Action Planning (REAP) (
Exhibit B
) shall be approved by the Administrator.
H. Obligations of the Scholar/s for Local/Foreign Scholarships
1. Documentary Requirements
a. Officials/Employees proposed for travel abroad for scholarships, are required to fill-out a Travel Data Sheet (
Exhibit C
).
b. A certified true copy of Local/Foreign Scholarship Contract between the Scholar and the Sponsoring Agency and/or NFA, shall be submitted by the grantee to HRMD five (5) working days before the start of the grantee’s scholarship.
In case the grantee will not continue his/her scholarship, he/she shall notify the HRMD before the start of the program duly endorsed by the Head of Office. However, in case the applicant apply for the second time, he/she shall be considered as the least priority.
c. For the duration of the scholarship, the grantee shall submit to HRMD, copy furnished RAM/RAO/PAO a certified true copy of his/her semestral/trimestral/quadmestral grades within thirty (30) working days from the end of every term. If the grades are not yet available after thirty (30) days, the scholar may request from HRMD an extension of submission of grades.
d. In order to maintain the scholarship grant, the grantee should have no failing grade in any subject and should have a general weighted average of 2.0, or its equivalent, for Graduate or Post-graduate.
e. Within thirty (30) working days after graduation, the grantee shall submit to HRMD, copy furnished RAM/RAO/PAO a certified true copy of his/her Transcript of Records, Certificate of Graduation or Diploma and the REAP.
f. Doctorate degree scholars who still have to undergo dissertation should immediately inform HRMD and RAM/RAO/PAO and request for a deferment of submission of requirements.
2. Failure to Fulfill the Terms and Conditions of the Contract
a. Failure to Submit the Certified True Copy of Semestral/ Trimestral/Quadmestral Grades
a.1
Failure to submit a copy of the grantee’s grade within thirty (30) working days after the end of every term, shall subject him/her to the withholding of his/her salaries and allowances until such time that he/she has complied with the requirements.
a.2 In case of the grantee’s failure to fulfill any or all of the terms and conditions of the contract through his/her own fault and neglect, such as but not limited to failure to submit the requirements of graduation, he/she shall be obligated to refund to NFA in full such sum of money that may have been defrayed, including salaries, allowances and other benefits received while on scholarship.
a.3 HRMD shall issue a 1st Demand Letter (
Exhibit D
) to the grantee requiring him/her to submit the said requirements immediately, otherwise, he/she shall refund all the expenses incurred for his/her scholarship. The total amount of expenses should be specified in the Demand Letter.
a.4 If after the first demand letter, the grantee still fails to submit the requirement/s or fails to pay the specified amount, HRMD shall issue a second Demand Letter (
Exhibit E
) informing the grantee that if the requirement/s is/are not submitted or the specified amount is not paid immediately, the said amount shall be automatically deducted from his/her next month’s salary and/or other receivables from NFA until fully paid.
b. In case the grantee was not able to finish his/her scholarship due to illness, he/she shall submit to HRMD/RAO/PAO a Medical Certificate duly authenticated by the concerned school/sponsoring agency (if local) or the Philippine Embassy in the host country (if foreign), subject to evaluation of HRMD and any government physician.
c. In case the grantee fails to pursue the scholarship or was cut short, he/she shall immediately inform the HRMD in writing, through the respective Head of Office. In such cases, any monetary value incurred by the grantee, shall be refunded and is due and demandable immediately except in cases of death and illness which will render the grantee incapacitated to pursue the course, and other analogous cases.
d. Upon the grantee’s completion of the scholarship, he/she shall assume his/her duty and secure a Certificate of Assumption to Duty from the concerned Head of Office to be submitted to HRMD within ten (10) working days from his/her return to office, copy furnished the Accounting Services Department (ASD). In case of non-submission within the prescribed period, HRMD shall issue a memo query to the concerned office pertaining to the status of the employee who availed of the scholarship grant.
3. The grantee shall share vital information and knowledge/insight whenever necessary relative to the course attended, in order that colleagues can benefit from the course.
The successful grantee shall conduct or re-echo the knowledge gained during his/her scholarship to be organized by his/her office, in coordination with HRMD. This shall be attended by the appropriate personnel in the central and field offices, which should not be beyond six (6) months after the completion of the scholarship.
I. Service Obligation/Service Contract
1. Grantees of local/foreign scholarship shall be required to serve the agency for a period indicated below :
DURATION OF SCHOLARSHIP
SERVICE OBLIGATION
2 to 5 months
1 year
6 to 11 months
2 years
12 to 18 months
3 years
19 to 24 months
4 years
2. In case a grantee fails to render in full the service obligation on account of resignation, retirement, transfer to other government agency, separation from the service through his/her own fault, or other causes within his/her control, he/she shall refund the
proportionate amount of salary, allowances and other benefits received while on scholarship based on the following formula :
Refund = (SOR – SOS)
------------------- x TCR
SOR
Where = SOR = Service Obligation Required*
SOS = Service Obligation Served*
TCR = Total Compensation Received
(Gross salary, allowances and other
benefits received while on scholarship)
*rounded off to the nearest no. of months
The corresponding balance shall be paid in full.
3. A notation in the Application for Clearance that the grantee has an on-going/incomplete service obligation shall be indicated by HRMD, in case the grantee with on-going/incomplete service obligation opt to transfer to another government agency.
4. In case a grantee fails to pay his/her monetary obligation due under his/her scholarship for failure to serve his/her service obligation, in part or in full, or in consequence of other violations of the Scholarship Contract, any unpaid amount shall be borne by his/her three (3) guarantors as specified in the Sworn Statement by the Guarantors which is a part of the Scholarship Contract.
5. The monetary value of the unserved service obligation of the grantee applying for Provisional Clearance shall be paid in cash before he/she can be cleared from accountability/ies by HRMD and ASD. The grantee’s sick leave and vacation leave credits may be applied to recompense the unserved portion of his/her service obligation. If the grantee’s remaining sick leave and vacation leave credits are not sufficient to settle the amount, the remaining balance shall be paid in full by the grantee.
Grantees applying for Terminal Clearance may execute an Authority to Deduct from the claims from NFA to settle the monetary value of unserved service obligation, if any.
6. A grantee who suffers incapacity to render further service to the government is relieved of his/her obligation to reimburse expenses incurred on account of scholarship grant (COA Decision 81-242 dated February 12, 1981).
7. Executive Order No. 367, s. 1989, signed on August 21, 1989 provides as follows :
“A condonation of the agency/department concerned may be allowed only in the following cases” :
g.1 “Abolition of the office or involuntary phase-out of the trainee or grantee in a reorganized office”; and
g.2 “Death or permanent disability”
8. In cases of separation from the service in view of reorganization/restructuring, etc. where the position of the grantee is to be abolished, he/she shall also be relieved of his/her obligation to reimburse expenses incurred.
9. A grantee with existing service obligation shall not be allowed to attend other scholarship grant, nor be allowed to go on vacation leave with or without pay for a continuous period of more than two (2) months, until his/her existing Service Contract is fully served; otherwise, he/she shall pay the monetary value of the unserved portion of his/her service obligation using the computation in II.I.2
10. The HRM Officers and RAMs (for Central Office), RAOs/PAOs (for Regional/Provincial Offices), when screening all applications for vacation leave of absence of grantees in their respective offices, shall verify compliance with the grantee’s service obligation based on the latter’s file copies of the Local/Foreign Scholarship Contract.
J. Other Provisions
1. Records of attendance to local/foreign scholarship shall form part of the grantee’s 201 file and shall be duly credited as one of his/her qualifications.
2. Officials/Employees who are granted local/foreign scholarship grants shall be relieved from their duties and responsibilities for the duration of the program and shall continue to receive their remunerations from the NFA such as but not limited to salary, allowances, 13
th
month pay and other benefits allowed.
The scholar’s vacation and sick leave benefits shall continue to be earned while on scholarship.
3. Representation and Transportation Allowances (RATAs) of officials who are granted local/foreign scholarship shall only be for a maximum period of six (6) months, subject to the conditions prescribed in Department of Budget Management (DBM) National Budget Circular No. 548 dated May 15, 2013 on the Amended Rules and Regulations on the Grant of Representation and Transportation Allowances.
All rulings, policies and/or issuances inconsistent with the herein provisions are hereby superseded.
This SOP shall take effect immediately upon approval.
TOMAS R. ESCAREZ
Officer-In-Charge - Administrator
III. RESPONSIBILITIES
IV. FLOW CHART
Top Page
EXHIBITS
Exhibit A - Scholarship Service Contract
Exhibit B - Re-Entry Action Planning (REAP)
Exhibit C - Travel Data Sheet
Exhibit D - 1st Demand Letter
Exhibit E - 2nd Demand Letter