By Liza Soriano
MANILA — The Senate has approved on the third and final reading the bill to institutionalize the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP).
Senate President Chiz Escudero sponsored Senate Bill No. 2568.
Sen. Joel Villanueva, who also sponsored the measure, said that the intent of the bill is “to allow and empower individuals who had to start working immediately to have their work experiences and prior learning recognized and given equivalent credits for tertiary education.”
“The bill institutionalizes the ETEEAP, which assesses and assigns appropriate equivalency credits for learning and experience, leading to the grant of an academic degree,” Villanueva added.
Escudero, former chairperson of the Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, noted: “By providing an alternative pathway to earn an academic degree, this program supports the career advancement of Filipino professionals.”
Applicants must be Filipino citizens residing in the Philippines or abroad, at least 23 years old, and have at least five years of aggregate work experience.
They should also have completed secondary education, as evidenced by a high school diploma or a result from the Philippine Educational Placement Test or Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency Assessment and Certification, which indicates that the individual is qualified to enter college.
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