THE MARIANO Marcos State University started handing out financial assistance to poor students on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.

Under the school’s Oplan Sappuyot program, the students received P2,500 cash assistance along with sim cards to help them cope with the challenges of distance learning.

“The program is one way of ensuring that all MMSU students will be able to cope with the challenges of flexible learning,” MMSU said on Facebook.

“It prioritizes students who belong to a low income family and have no single gadget to access the internet,” it added.

The money that was distributed to the students came from donations of faculty members.

“To make this initiative possible, university employees donated various amounts, mostly giving their one-day salary, to serve as seed money for students’ support,” the MMSU said.