Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan (Facebook)

A rookie solon has filed a measure that would waive the tuition for government employees aspiring to complete their Master’s Degrees in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

Under House Bill (HB) 8834 filed by Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan the free tuition would benefit career and non-career service government employees, and covers a master’s program of a maximum of two years in any SUC where they have successfully sought admission.

Yamsuan said the measure-- the proposed Free Master’s Degree Tuition for Government Employees Act--will promote career advancement and a culture of lifelong learning in government, which will in turn, lead to a higher standard of service to the Filipino people.

It will also encourage civil service personnel to continue honing their skills amid the dynamic challenges faced by the Philippine public sector in this age of innovation and disruptive technologies, Yamsuan said.

“Apart from improving the quality of public service, we owe it to our government employees to assure them that as they tirelessly and generously provide their services and expertise on the one hand, the government backs their goals for career growth and professional development on the other,” said the former Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) undersecretary.

Yamsuan pointed out that “In addition to experience, training, civil service eligibility, and performance rating, educational attainment plays a vital role in the merit-based selection and promotion of civil service employees."

“Thus, this measure will not only boost our civil servants’ morale and job satisfaction, it will also ensure employee retention, resulting in a more stable civil service,” he added.

HB No.8834 was referred on first reading to the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.

To qualify for the free tuition benefit, government employees must be employed for at least five years at any time after the effectivity of the proposed measure, and should also pass the entrance tests and other admission and retention requirements of the SUC where he or she is applying for the Master’s program.

Those who fail to complete the master’s degree within a year after the period prescribed in their graduate education program will be rendered ineligible for the benefit and charged the tuition and other school fees as determined by the governing board of the SUC where they were enrolled.

Government employees who were already granted any state-sponsored graduate education scholarship, whether public or private, here or overseas; those with pending administrative charges involving grave offenses; and those who fail to comply with the admission and retention policies of the SUC are ineligible to avail of the free tuition under the bill.