LAWMAKER SEEKS FREE PROFESSIONAL EXAMS
PARAÑAQUE City Rep. Joy Myra Tambunting has filed a measure seeking to provide free professional examinations to college graduates.
In her House Bill 9289 or the proposed Free Professional Examinations Act, Tambunting stressed that education is a key driver of socio-economic development.
She added that the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act gives the youth a chance for a better future but the professional examination fees students need to pay is a hindrance to landing employment.
“Better employment opportunites await those graduates who are holding a professional license. The grant of professional license is only extended to select individuals who shall undergo specific examinations prescribed by the law,” Tambunting said in her explanatory note.
She stressed that to a regular graduate, the fees required to take examination are minimal but to some, particularly indigents who finished their degrees on scholarships, it could be steep. This is one reason why graduates from poor families opt not to take licensure examinations.
Under the bill, no other fee shall be charged to a qualified indigent for a professional examination.
To avail themselves of the benefits, examinees shall secure a certification from the Department of Social Welfare and Development proving that he is a qualified indigent.