As a Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) student, Nadra C. Jundam, 21, from Isabela City learned to handle various types of students, make lesson plans, manage a classroom and develop impactful visual aids for practice teaching.

All this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Allah and the Department of Labor and Employment IX’s scholarship grant under the Workers Organization Development Program (WODP).

DOLE 9 Regional Director Ofelia B. Domingo shared that the WODP is a DOLE flagship program launched in September 1994 in line with the DOLE’s mandate to strengthen trade unionism and other workers’ organizations by promoting their capabilities as independent and active partners in national development.

The DOLE extends coverage of the WODP scholarship grants to legitimate dependents of officers and members of locals/chapters of independent labor federations and independent unions.

Nadhra graduated on March 25, 2019 from Basilan State College (BaSC) in Isabela City.

Being the fourth child in a brood of seven, Nadhra was grateful to have been granted the scholarship since she knows her father, Sharqawie A. Jundam, can’t afford to send all seven of them to school. Her mother passed away in 2014 which left her father to care for them all on his own.

Nadhra’s dad currently works as a Safety Officer for AT-PTS Cargo Handling Services in Isabela City and is also a member and an active officer of the Basilan Stevedoring and Dockhandlers Union-National Union of Port Workers-TUCP. This membership has enabled him to avail of the said scholarship for his daughter.

Under the program, Nadhra receives full payment for her tuition fee, book allowance and a monthly stipend for her school needs. She said that this has helped her and her family a great deal since she saves up the remaining amount from her allowance to help her siblings too.

Being a WODP scholar wasn’t a walk in the park all the time, she recounts. She had to maintain her grades and burn the midnight candle to comply with all requirements set by the school and the grant.

However, being a scholar also taught her many things, in her words:

“My first encounter with my friends taught me how to socialize with other students in our school. Further, my 4 years in college, trained me to manage my time wisely and with a purpose.”

Among the activities she participated in are various community services, such as coastal-clean up drives, mangrove planting and supplemental feeding. She also joined different seminars and trainings in and out of BaSC.

“These learning experiences did not only teach me how to be a good and responsible student, but also transformed me to be a well-rounded citizen with a sense of purpose or mission in the society,” Nadhra said with conviction.

And she has nothing but only words of gratitude towards DOLE:

“My family and I would like to express our deepest thanks to the Department of Labor and Employment for the support and guidance they provided us throughout the years.”

At present, Nadhra is preparing herself for the License Examination for Teachers by reviewing intensively.

Every year, DOLE 9 continues to support members of worker’s organizations and their dependents through the WODP. Hundreds of students have reached their dreams of becoming professionals under the program across the country, a testament of DOLE’s dedicated service to the hardworking Filipino workforce. / END – With reports from Marlyn Anoos, LEO-III, ICFO