Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada eyes free tuition for government employees pursuing a master’s degree in state universities and colleges (SUCs).
Estrada filed Senate Bill No. 2277, known as the “Government Employees Free MA Tuition in SUCs Act” which seeks to provide career and non-career government employees with the opportunity to pursue a two-year master’s program in state universities and colleges (SUCs) without worrying about their tuitions.
As of June 30, 2022, the Inventory of Government Human Resources (IGHR) of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) indicated there are 1,820,457 career and non-career employees in the bureaucracy.
The cost of a securing a master’s degree varies from P800 to P1,500 per unit, resulting in tuitions ranging from P19,200 to P50,000 for the completion of a 24-unit program.
Additional fees related to various activities required for the degree are not included in the amount.
To be eligible for the program, non-career contractual government personnel must have at least five years of employment and pass the entrance examination and other admission and retention requirements of the SUCs.
Individuals who have already received government-sponsored graduate education scholarships in any higher education institution, whether public or private, in the country or abroad, are ineligible.
Moreover, those who fail to complete their master’s degree within a year after the prescribed period in their graduate education program will be disqualified.
The senator said his proposed legislation aims to provide government employees with the means to pursue higher education and enhance their professional capabilities, ultimately benefiting public service and the nation as a whole.