HOUSE Committee on Basic Education and Culture chairman Roman Romulo divulged that a total of P438.16 million has been allocated in the General Appropriations Act 2024 to fund the assessment of senior high school students in the technical-vocational livelihood track.

Romulo disclosed the committee’s resumption of its deliberation on House Bill 8242, authored by Zambales Rep. Doris Maniquiz, seeking to exempt senior high school students under the SHS TVL track and other SHS tracks requiring certifications from paying assessment fees.

He explained that under Special Provision No. 8 of the GAA 2024, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has a P438.16-million allotment for the Senior High School Assessment and Certification Support Program.

The Department of Education and TESDA shall jointly develop guidelines for the operationalization of the program.

Romulo said senior high school students under the TVL Track of the DepEd should not only get a diploma from the DepEd but also a National Certificate from the TESDA if they qualify in the competency exam.

Dr. Leila Areola, Director IV of the DepEd Bureau of Learning Delivery, said it will be advantageous for learners to be exempt from assessment fees, and narrated that talks are ongoing with TESDA about it.

“Most likely, it will be how many of our learners will be getting into this assessment so we’ll get to find out whether that amount is going to cover all our learners in the senior high school,” Areola said.

TESDA Policy and Planning Division Chief Ma. Linda Andrade said they are now drafting the joint memorandum circular for this.

Romulo queried if a graduating learner can be given a diploma but without an NC. Areola said this happens when the learner fails to pass the assessment exam.

Romulo said the situation is disadvantageous for the tech-voc learner compared to a student in the academic track.

“In the new academic track, lahat nung units na kinukuha niya kailangan ipasa niya di ba para mabigyan ninyo ng diploma. Pero sa TVL Track lumalabas makapasa siya ng 22 of the 33 or 32 subjects, magga-graduate siya. Di ba unfair yun sa lahat ng strands ng academic track? In the sports track, and Arts and Design? Di ba unfair yun because effectively, magbibigay kayo ng diploma sa isang magtatapos ng Grade 12 kahit hindi siya pasado sa assessment sa kanya sa TechVoc. That will be the consequence of the response you had that it is possible to give a diploma kahit walang NC,” he said.

Areola explained that in the existing DepEd orders, the taking of the NC is not yet a requirement. Romulo emphasized that the promise of K to 12 in 2013 was two-fold: college-ready and job-ready.