The House of Representatives approved on second reading House Bill (HB) 9015 mandating the implementation of the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) Act in recognition of the importance of having equal access to higher education.
In his sponsorship speech, Rep. Mark Go, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, said that individuals with proven competency should have access to educational opportunities to realize their full potential and prepare for higher value career paths needed for global competitiveness.
“We all know that the acquisition of knowledge and skills does not only take place within the confines of the classroom,” Congressman Go stressed.
The ETEEAP is an equivalency and accreditation pathway for obtaining a bachelor’s degree for high school graduates, post-secondary technical-vocational graduates, and college undergraduates with at least five years of professional experience.
Rep. Mark Go also noted that institutionalizing the ETEEAP as an alternative learning program will allow workers, employees, professionals, and other undergraduate adults with acquired competencies to obtain a degree by recognizing their work experience, knowledge, abilities, and expertise as school credits.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has been implementing the aforesaid program in various higher education institutions in the different parts of the country that saw thousands of students avail of the same to be able to acquire higher level of education for them to land in gainful employment locally and overseas.
TINGOG Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre principally authored the measure.
