A PARTY-list legislator has pushed for the passage of a measure that aims to provide free tuition to government employees aspiring to complete their master’s degrees in state universities and colleges (SUCs).
Bicol Saro Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said his House Bill (HB) 8834 will promote career advancement and a culture of lifelong learning in government, which will in turn, lead to a higher standard of service to the Filipino people.
“Apart from improving the quality of public service, we owe it to our government employees to assure them that as they tirelessly and generously provide their services and expertise on the one hand, the government backs their goals for career growth and professional development on the other,” Yamsuan said.
Once enacted, he said free tuition benefits career and non-career service government employees, and covers a master’s program of a maximum of two years in any SUC where they have successfully sought admission.
HB 8834 will also encourage civil service personnel to continue honing their skills amid the dynamic challenges faced by the Philippine public sector in this age of innovation and disruptive technologies, Yamsuan said.
Yamsuan pointed out that “in addition to experience, training, civil service eligibility, and performance rating, educational attainment plays a vital role in the merit-based selection and promotion of civil service employees.”
“Thus, this measure will not only boost our civil servants’ morale and job satisfaction, it will also ensure employee retention, resulting in a more stable civil service,” he added.
To qualify for the free tuition benefit, government employees must be employed for at least five years at any time after the effectivity of the proposed measure, and should also pass the entrance tests and other admission and retention requirements of the SUC where he or she is applying for the master’s program.
Those who fail to complete the master’s degree within a year after the period prescribed in their graduate education program will be rendered ineligible for the benefit and charged the tuition and other school fees as determined by the governing board of the SUC where they were enrolled.
Government employees who were already granted any state-sponsored graduate education scholarship, whether public or private, here or overseas; those with pending administrative charges involving grave offenses; and those who fail to comply with the admission and retention policies of the SUC are ineligible to avail of the free tuition under the bill.
The amount required to implement this proposed Free Master’s Degree Tuition for Government Employees Act shall be determined by the respective governing boards of SUCs based on the projected number of enrollees for each academic year, which shall be the primary factor in computing the annual proposed budget of SUCs, the bill likewise states.
HB 8834 was referred on first reading to the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.