House approves bill adding more Pisay campuses in the country
House approves bill adding more Pisay campuses in the country
By Allan Mauro V. Marfal, DOST-STII
More young Filipinos will have the opportunity now to receive free yet top-notch science education as the law to establish the Philippine Science High School in each province in the country received approval from the lower house.
In a plenary session held on 30 January 2024, a bill seeking to expand the Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS) campuses was approved on the second reading.
Filed as House Bill (HB) No. 9726 or the Expanded Philippine Science High School Act, it would accommodate more government scholars and increase access to free, quality, and globally competitive education for the country’s future science, technology, and innovation pool of experts.
The law’s main objective is to establish at most two PSHS campuses per region outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) with only one campus per province. Once passed into law, the PSHSS will establish testing centers in all regions “to enhance equitable admissions of and access to deserving students.”
In his sponsorship speech, Aklan 1st District and Chair of Committee on Science and Technology Rep. Carlito Marquez shared that with this bill, we can advance the knowledge, skills, and values of the next generation by accommodating more government scholars in the country.
“Pisay is well on its way to achieving its mission and vision in pursuit of truth, passion for excellence, and commitment to service. Through the advancement of this measure, our hopes to elevate Science and Technology education will now come into fruition,” said Rep. Marquez on his official Facebook account.
He added that the Philippines needs to strengthen the PSHS System to ensure that we have a large supply of Filipino scientists who can serve the country and become at par with the best in the world.
Meanwhile, also stated in the proposed bill is that a trust fund administered by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) using income generated from school fees would be established for priority programs and activities of the PSHSS.
Given this, the PSHS Board of Trustees is tasked to develop policies and guidelines to maintain the high quality of education across all campuses in the system.
Within 90 days, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs the law, the Executive Director, Deputy Executive Directors, and Campus Directors are now eligible to serve for at most three terms, each lasting at most five years.
For more information on Philippine Science High School System, you may visit its official website: https://pshs.edu.ph/ and official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Philippine.Science.High.School.System (With information from the House of Representatives’ Official Website)
