Bill provides free tuition to government employees pursuing further studies

MANILA, Philippines — Civil servants who wish to pursue further studies and obtain master’s degrees can avail themselves of free tuition in state universities and colleges (SUCs) where they have been admitted once a bill in the House of Representatives is enacted into law.

House Bill (HB) 8834 provides free tuition benefits to 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.

Working students or professionals enrolled in post-graduate schools are required to pay tuition.

Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan, who authored the measure, said this would promote career advancement and a culture of lifelong learning in the government, which, in turn, would lead to a higher standard of service to the Filipino people.

HB 8834 has been referred on first reading to the House committee on higher and technical education.

The measure 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, according to Yamsuan, who is a former assistant secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

“Apart from improving the quality of public service, we owe it to our government employees to assure them that as they provide their services and expertise on the one hand, the government backs their goals for career growth and professional development on the other,” he said.

“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,” he added.

Thus, HB 8834, according to the neophyte lawmaker, will not only boost Filipino civil servants’ morale and job satisfaction, but it will also ensure employee retention, resulting in a more stable civil service.

To qualify, 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.