THE House Committee on Higher and Technical Education approved a measure mandating local government units to establish, operate and maintain Handog na Oportunidad Para sa Edukasyon or HOPE Centers scholarship hubs in every city and municipality.

The panel, headed by Baguio City Rep. Mark Go, agreed to endorse for plenary debates the measure filed by Quezon City Rep. Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar.

The author of the bill said the creation of HOPE Centers would address the problem of inequality of access to education.

“The HOPE Centers would ensure the prompt, timely, and efficient delivery of scholarship programs and opportunities by establishing a repository of scholarships offered by different public and private institutions or persons, as well as creating an integrated system of scholarship application,” she said.

She added in the Philippines, the evident reality persists that access to quality education remains a privilege than a right. Inequality of access plagues the country’s educational system, erecting insurmountable barriers before numerous and aspiring Filipino youths.

The bill provides a HOPE Center may be established in every congressional district in Highly Urbanized Cities.

The centers would be linked to the regional offices of the Commission on Higher Education for supervision and technical management, while the CHED Central Office would constitute the national scholarship program network.

The centers would be under the office of the mayor or city mayor.

Funding for the operation and maintenance of the HOPE Center will come from the LGU internal revenue allotment and its other internally generated income, while the provision for the center’s technical assistance, training, and supervision would be included in the CHED annual budget.