Senator Imee Marcos on Sunday, June 5 called on the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the Civil Service Commission to hold special exams for education graduates who were barred from taking the licensure exams this June and in September.
Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, said that job creation and income relief were being delayed after the PRC decided to hold the exams only for degree holders in 2020 or earlier.
The senator also lamented that her call for an online version of the Licensure Examinations for Professional Teachers (LEPT) for more than a year ago “fell on deaf ears, so this is the sad result.”
“The PRC and Civil Service Commission should now work double-time to hold special exams for 2021 and 2022 graduates, instead of letting them wait until March 2023,” Marcos said in a statement.
“An online version of the LEPT should also be done as soon as possible,” added the senator.
Marcos also pointed out that the Career Executive Service Board and other professional regulatory boards have already been able to hold online exams.
She said these could provide as templates for the holding of LEPT online.
Though health safety restrictions last year forced the LEPT to be held in smaller batches, Marcos said special exams are doable now that the Covid-19 pandemic has eased.
The lawmaker warned that the backlog of examinees could worsen if special exams are not held this year and an online version of the LEPT is not ready for the graduates of 2023.