Zambales solon wants free tuition for gov’t workers obtaining master’s degree

Zambales 2nd District Rep. Doris Maniquiz showed the bill she filed on Tuesday (May 16) seeking to provide free graduate education to government employees in state-owned colleges and universities. (Contributed photo)

SAN ANTONIO, Zambales—Rep. Doris Maniquiz of the province’s second district filed a bill on Tuesday (May 16) seeking to provide free graduate education to government employees in state-owned colleges (SUCs) and universities.

In a statement, Maniquiz said that House Bill No. 8159 would help civil servants become “better-educated” professionals, who 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,” Maniquiz said.

She added: “I believe it is very important to complement and strengthen state programs to develop human resources and improve government bureaucracy.”

Under the bill, qualified government employees in career or non-career positions can take a maximum of a two-year master’s program in SUCs for free.

However, applicants who were already granted government-sponsored graduate scholarships, 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 recognized the need for the free tuition program after noticing government employees, mostly teachers, queuing for cash assistance from local government units during school enrollment.

“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.

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JPV