Free college education for children of public school teachers sought

A party-list representative is pushing for the passage of a bill that seeks to grant free college education to the children of public school teachers. Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Rep. Antonio Tinio has filed House Bill 4077 which aims to uplift the economic condition of public school teachers by providing free tuition and other fees to their dependent children who are admitted to public post-secondary education institutions. "[Despite] the enactment of the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers in 1966, teachers have been waiting in vain for the benefits intended to somehow ease their hardships," Tinio said in a statement released on Tuesday. The bill exempts one dependent child of a public school teacher from paying tuition and all other fees provided that the child meets the minimum requirements of his/her desired state university, college or any public technical/vocational schools under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). But Tinio clarified that two dependents may get free college education if both parents are public school teachers. "By shouldering the educational expenses of a teacher's child, the government shall provide substantial economic relief for teachers, give due recognition to their dedication and hard work and enhance the status of the teaching profession," Tinio said. Tinio is the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture. Under the bill, the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and TESDA shall jointly promulgate the implementing rules and regulations of the proposed legislation. — Emmanuel Louis Bacani/LBG, GMA News