Inihayag ni Senador Chiz Escudero na nakatakda nang tuldukan ang patakaran ng state universities and colleges (SUCs) na ipagbawal ang pagtuturo ng sinuman na walang masters’ degree sa pamamagitan ng panukalang nakahain ngayon sa Senado.
Sa pahayag, hiniling ni Escudero sa kasamahan na pagtibayin ang anim na education-related bills na inendorso ng Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education (CHTVE), kabilang ang panukalang tutuldok sa “no degree, no entry” sa SUCs teaching staff, ang Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP).
Layunin ng panukala, ayon kay Escudero na magbigay ng mas maraming inclusive at skilled workers force sa bansa.
Sa kanyang sponsorship speech sa plenaryo, sinabi ni Escudero na sakaling maisabatas ang ETEEAP sa ilalim ng Senate Bill 2568, magbibigay ito ng mas maraming opurtunidad sa working professionals na hindi nakapagkumpleto ngedukasyon sa kolehiyo na makamit ang isang degree sa pamamagitan ng pamamaraang hindi tradisyunal.
“For many college dropouts, whose skills are not receipted by a diploma, the absence of academic credentials can and does lead to opportunity losses,” ayon kay Escudero, chairman ng CHTVE.
“Often, their career advancement is blocked by a diploma wall, while those far less talented, whiz past them by flashing a diploma as a gate pass. And nowhere is this race fiercer than in the civil service, where the orthodoxy of degrees over skills reigns supreme,” giit pa niya.
Ayon sa Bicolanong senador na katulad ng din ng diploma wall na humaharang sa pagbabalik ng talentadong overseas Filipino workers na“who have done decades of tours of duty in the most competitive environments from reintegrating into an economy they can enrich with their talents and whose workers they can upskill.”
“Kahit sa Michelin star resto pa naging sous chef, hindi pwedeng gawing faculty ng isang SUCs (state universities and colleges) kasi walang master’s degree. Kahit na henyo sa IT (information technology) sa abroad, pagdating dito kung walang degree, walang trabaho. No diploma, no entry,” ayon kay Escudero.
Aniya, itatama ng SB 2568, ang hindi pareas na pagtingi na to dahil layunin ng panukala na maging institutionalize ang ETEEAP at magbigay ng kaukulang pondo sa implementasyon nito.
“The program focuses on academic equivalency and accreditation at the college level. It validates the knowledge and expertise acquired by senior high school graduates, post-secondary technical-vocational graduates, and college undergraduate students through relevant work experiences and high-level, non formal training,” ayon kay Escudero.
“The bill designates the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) as the lead implementor of program, assigning it powers and function, such as choosing what academic programs shall be opened, and the certification process that applicants must go through,” paliwanag pa ni Escudero.
“By granting them a pathway to earn a bachelor’s degree, this program contributes to a more inclusive and skilled workforce in the Philippines,” giit pa ng senador.
Bukod sa SB 2568, isinusulong din ni Escudero ang mga sumusunod:
•SB 2569 – “An Act Creating a Tripartite Council to Address Unemployment, Underemployment, and the Job-Skills Mismatch Problem in the Country, and Appropriating Funds Therefor.”
• SB 2596 – “An Act Promoting Access to Quality Legal Education by Providing for Free Tuition and Other School Fees in State Universities and Colleges and Appropriating Funds Therefor.”
• SB 2597 – “An Act Strengthening the Legal Education Board, Thereby Amending Republic Act No. 7662, Otherwise Known as the Legal Education Reform Act of 1993, and Appropriating Funds Therefor.”
• SB 2598 – “An Act Strengthening the Mental Health Services of State Universities and Colleges and Appropriating Funds Therefor.”
•House Bill 7089- “An Act Establishing a College of Medicine in the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines- Cagayan de Oro City Campus.”
Pinagtibay din ng Senado sa ikalawang pagbasa ang House Bill 7564, na pinapyagan ang kasalukuyang President ng Mountain Province State Polytechnic College na amging kauna-unahang president ng Mountain Province State University. Ernie Reyes
