Marcos inks law on alternative education program

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure institutionalizing the expanded tertiary education equivalency and accreditation program (ETEEAP).

Republic Act 12124, or the ETEEAP Act, allows Filipinos, especially working professionals, to finish college education for career advancement, the Presidential Communications Office said Wednesday.

The PCO said the ETEEAP would identify, assess, validate, and assign equivalent undergraduate-level and special graduate programs of prior learning from formal, non-formal, and informal learning systems and relevant work experiences to qualified individuals for the grant of appropriate academic degrees.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) will serve as the lead agency in implementing ETEEAP.

The agency's functions include deputizing higher education institutions (HEIs) with academic degrees to be opened for the ETEEAP, developing standards for a diversified mode of assessing skills, values, knowledge, and levels of competence, and granting or revocation of HEIs' authority to implement the ETEEAP.

To ensure the effective implementation of ETEEAP, the Office of Programs and Standards Development (OPSD) will be strengthened to serve as the permanent technical secretariat for carrying out the new law's functions.

The PCO said that Filipino citizens, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, may apply for equivalency and accreditation if they satisfy the requirements.

Applicants should also be at least 23 years old at the time of application.

The PCO said they should have completed a secondary school program, as evidenced by a high school diploma or a result of the Philippine Educational Placement Test or Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency Assessment and Certification stating that the individual concerned is qualified to enter college.

Senator Joel Villanueva hailed the signing of the law, saying that its enactment marks a significant milestone for both our education and labor sectors.

''We thank President Bongbong Marcos for recognizing the importance of the ETEEAP Act as well as our fellow legislators especially Senate President Chiz Escudero for allowing us to steer the passage of the measure in the Senate,'' Villanueva, who authored the measure, said in a separate press statement.

He said this would ensure that the skills, knowledge, and experience gained in the workplace are acknowledged and translated into academic credits, ultimately enabling the attainment of an appropriate academic degree. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News