THE Commission on Audit (COA) has instructed the Caraga State University (CSU) to enforce the collection of public funds spent on government scholars who failed to comply with the provisions of their scholarship contracts to render return services.
Based on a value for money audit report released last April 14, the COA said penalties totaling P784,997.97 should be imposed against one scholar who enrolled in CSU’s master’s degree in Computer Engineering but only completed two years of studies, thereby failing to graduate.
The scholar likewise resigned from his job in the university on April 11, 2019, prompting the issuance of Faculty Training and Development Committee Resolution No. 31 recommending that the Office of the President of CSU require the refund of all salaries and benefits paid to him.
Likewise, the CSU legal officer sent demand letters to the same person demanding a refund.
On the other hand, two other university scholars in the Master of Science in Biology and Master in Public Administration program also failed to complete the required service period by resigning early from their university jobs.
The first rendered only three months of service while the other resigned after only nine months.
Under the scholarship contract signed between the CSU and its scholars, the faculty or personnel scholar, as grantee, is required to serve CSU for the same number of years as the duration of the scholarship or at least for a major fraction of the equivalent number of years.
In a separate provision, the scholars likewise agreed to “refund to CSU the amount defrayed by the government” in the event that he/she fails to comply with the conditions of the contract.
“The personnel hired under contract of service had not fully rendered the mandatory return service stipulated in their scholarship contracts as they resigned three to nine months after the term of their scholarship contracts,” the COA noted.
Should the former scholars fail to refund the amount required, the COA recommended that they be required to come back and serve the remaining period based on their respective contracts.
