BOTOLAN, Zambales – A bill mandating free graduate education in state-owned colleges and universities for government employees was filed at the House on May 16 by 2nd District Rep. Doris “Nanay Bing” Maniquiz.
House Bill No. 8159, or “An Act Granting Free Tuition for Government Employees Enrolled in Graduate Education Master’s Program at State Universities and Colleges” takes in to consideration government thrust for quality education and the need for efficient delivery of public service, Maniquiz said, noting that “better-educated professionals…would in turn improve government service.”
“The national government has been pushing for quality education from pre-school to tertiary levels, and we have to take this further with my proposal in order to maximize results,” she added. “I believe it is very important to complement and strengthen State programs to develop human resources and improve government bureaucracy.”
Under HB 8159, qualified government employees can take master’s degrees in state universities and colleges (SUCs) for free.
Beneficiaries are government workers in career or non-career positions at any government service, including government-owned and/or controlled corporations and local government units, who have successfully applied for a maximum of two-year master’s program.
However, applicants who are already granted government-sponsored graduate scholarship; students who fail to comply with the admission and retention requirements of the SUC; and those who fail to complete their master’s degree within a year after the period prescribed in their graduate education program cannot join the program.
Maniquiz said she recognized the need for the free tuition program upon noticing government employees, mostly teachers, queueing for cash assistance from local government units during school enrolment.
“This only means that there is a crying need for the government to straighten this financial imbalance and, at the same time, create an opportunity to further improve government service,” she added.
