SENATOR Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Estrada has filed a bill that seeks to provide free competency-based assessment for senior high school students taking training-vocational-livelihood track and other tracks requiring certificates of competency and national certificates.

Under Senate Bill 2281 or the proposed Free Competency Based Assessment for Senior High School Act, a student who finished a TVL track in Grade 12 may obtain a National Certificate Level II provided that he or she passes the competency-based assessment of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

NC II improves the employability of graduates in fields like agriculture, electronics and trade.

However, if the student takes more than one NC or if the NC assessment fee exceeds the total cost of the assessment subsidy, the partner Institution may cover the said fee, or the school-recipient may request the assistance of the local government unit.

“The voucher subsidy for the assessment fee in the amount of P550 shall be limited to one National Certification. The learner-beneficiary shall take the NC of his or her choice in any Assessment Center which must be conducted before the end of the school year,” the senator said in his explanatory note.

The senator cited the report of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies emphasized that there is a clamor to subsidize the fees for NC exams for TVL graduates, particularly for students from poor households.