By: Atty. Gregorio B. Austral, CPA
Bridging Pathways to Degrees: The ETEEAP Act
Republic Act No. 12124, aptly named the “Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) Act,” was established to institutionalize a comprehensive alternative learning pathway within the Philippine tertiary education system. Declaring it a policy of the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality and accessible education, the Act aims to develop and maintain innovative educational and training equivalencies. This initiative facilitates flexible entry and exchange among formal, non-formal, and informal learning systems, as well as between these systems and the labor market, ultimately responding to community needs.
The ETEEAP operates based on the principles of academic equivalency, accreditation, validation, and recognition of prior learning. This includes knowledge and expertise derived from relevant work experiences and from formal, non-formal, and informal training, allowing individuals to harness their full potential. Key terms defined within the Act include: accreditation, which is the process of recognizing learning from various sources; equivalency, the assignment of academic credits for demonstrated competence; formal learning, structured learning within the school system; non-formal learning, intentional learning gained outside formal education; informal learning, non-structured learning from everyday experiences; and Higher Education Institution (HEI), an institution offering degree-granting programs recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
As a comprehensive alternative learning program, the ETEEAP targets a wide range of individuals, including high school graduates, senior high school graduates, post-secondary technical-vocational graduates, and college undergraduates. It also caters to working professionals who were unable to finish or advance in college, or those who have already earned a bachelor’s degree and wish to pursue a special graduate degree without traditional schooling. The program serves to identify, assess, validate, and assign equivalent undergraduate and special graduate program credits for prior learning from various systems, work experiences, and competency enrichment, leading to the grant of appropriate academic degrees. Importantly, bachelor’s degree holders can apply for equivalency and accreditation towards a second degree only if the prior learning is related to the degree being sought.
To be eligible for the ETEEAP, Filipino citizens, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, must meet specific qualifications. Applicants must be at least twenty-three (23) years of age at the time of application. They must also have completed a secondary school program, evidenced by a high school diploma or a passing result in the Philippine Educational Placement Test or Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency Assessment. Furthermore, applicants need at least five (5) years of aggregate work experience in an industry related to the academic degree program they are seeking. They may also submit documentation of relevant training programs and other proof of formal, non-formal, and informal learning, including TESDA-issued National Certificates or Certificates of Competency.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) serves as the lead agency for the implementation of the ETEEAP. In this role, CHED is empowered to deputize HEIs with academic degrees suitable for the program, develop standards for assessing skills and knowledge, grant or revoke the authority of HEIs to implement ETEEAP, and monitor and evaluate its implementation. CHED is also tasked with safeguarding the integrity of the program, convening consultations, setting standard fees, establishing ETEEAP Centers of Development and Excellence per region, and working with other government agencies to identify priority programs. Deputized HEIs, on the other hand, are responsible for processing applications, conducting assessments, awarding degrees, establishing ETEEAP units, developing assessment tools, setting fees, constituting assessor panels, assigning equivalency credits, determining necessary competency enrichment, and submitting reports to CHED.
The Philippine Qualifications Framework-National Coordinating Council (PQF-NCC) plays a role in monitoring and supporting the alignment of the ETEEAP with the objectives of the PQF Act. The CHED may deputize public and private HEIs that are Centers of Excellence or Centers of Development in the program they intend to offer through ETEEAP. Specific criteria also apply to state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, and private HEIs regarding their quality and status. The existing Office of Programs and Standards Development (OPSD) under the CHED will be strengthened to serve as the permanent technical secretariat for the ETEEAP. CHED is mandated to report to the President and Congress on the status of the program.