Senator Sonny Angara has urged before the senate to grant free entrance examinations to graduating high school students applying for admission in state colleges and universities in the country as he pressed for the passage of this bill.
Angara said in a statement that the rising cost of education, especially in the college hinders more and more high school graduates to pursue or continue a degree pointing out the limited financial capacity of the students.
“Access to tertiary education for bright and deserving students would be almost impossible especially if their families do not have the means to pay even for an entrance examination, which is the initial step towards admission to any college degree program,” he said.
The Senate Bill No. 62, however excludes University of the Philippines, mandates all state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local colleges and universities (LCUs) to provide free college entrance exams to graduating high school students, high school graduates, college entrants and transferees who are applying for admission in a particular college.
Included also in the bill is the mandate for all private colleges, universities, or institutions to provide free entrance exams to underprivileged public high school students belonging to the top 10 percent of the graduating class and whose families are living below the poverty line.
Based on the date released by the Commission on Higher Education, out of 100 grade 1 pupils, only 66 finish grade 6 and only 58 of them enroll in first year high school. However, of the 58 only 43 finish high school and only 23 of them enroll in college. The bill pointed out that of the 23, only 14 eventually graduate from college.
“This bill aims to ensure that poor but deserving high school graduates are given equal opportunities in applying for college admission to higher education institutions by removing the first hindrance at the entry level such as the prohibitive cost of entrance examinations,” Angara said.
H/T: Inquirer.net; and photo.