The Commission on Higher Education (CHED), under its Student Monetary Assistance for Recovery and Transition (SMART) Program, in close coordination with the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur led by
Gov Luigi Villafuerte, the Office of 5th District Representative
Congressman Migz Villafuerte and the Local Government Unit of Balatan, distributes educational assistance amounting P25,000 each to over 200 college students of Balatan.
"This one po is very helpful po sa katulad naming mga estudyante like me na college student po na nagmula sa mahirap na pamilya," shared one of the SMART scholars, Jay-Ar Fortunado of Duran, Balatan. Fortunado is a 3rd year college student of Baao Community College pursuing Bachelor of Secondary Education, majoring in English. He shared his gratitude for being among the scholars of the SMART program especially as he is possibly the very first in his family to finish higher education.
CHED-SMART Distribution in Balatan as one of the strategies under the National Employment Recovery Strategy to help bolster the success of students in completing their higher education through a scholarship grant, as the world recovers and transitions away from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.