No proposal to abolish board exams, but to study the possibility –Bello

MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III clarified on Thursday that he was not proposing the scrapping of board examinations for nurses and other professions but was only urging concerned agencies to study if the requirement can be abolished.

“I’m not proposing. My proposal is for the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) and PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) to study the possibility, so I did not propose for the scrapping,” he told ABS-CBN News Channel.

“I am not proposing to scrap. I am proposing especially to the PNA and the Board of Nursing to study, and that applies to all other board [examinations] for engineering, architecture, and everything. Pag-aralan lang nilang mabuti, (They should study it well),” he added.

Bello earlier questioned the need for board exams for nurses and other professions as well as Bar exams for aspiring lawyers in an online media briefing on Wednesday.

Bello said graduates have already gone through enough examinations in college to test their skills.“Bakit pa kailangan ng board exam eh ilang exam ang dinaanan nila sa nursing? Puro na lang exam. Do they not trust these schools where these nurses came from, especially kung ‘yung school na pinanggalingan nila ay accredited by CHEd (Commission on Higher Education)?” he said.

(Why is the board exam needed when they have already gone through a lot of exams for nursing? There are too many exams. Do they not trust these schools where these nurses came from, especially if the schools were accredited by CHEd?)

DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III (FILE PHOTO/INQUIRER)

“Dapat alisin na ‘yung mga board exam sa mga engineer, board exam sa dentistry, Bar exam. Eight years ka nang nag-aaral para maging abogado, pumasa ka na sa lahat ng exam, kukuha ka pa ng Bar?” he stressed.(We should remove the requirement for board exams for engineers and dentists as well as bar exams. You have been studying for eight years to become a lawyer and have passed all the tests, then you still need to take the bar exam?)

Bello earlier said the removal of board examinations will probably be his pet bill if ever he becomes part of the legislative branch of the government.

He, however, clarified that he has yet to finalize his political plans for 2022.

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