Republic of the Philippines {
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES \
Quezon City XX,

16" CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 2204

Introduced by REP. EVELINA G, ESCUDERO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

To improve the quality of education and quality of graduates in the elementary,
secondary and tertiary levels, the Philippine educational system has been undergoing innovative
transformation and restructuring. Presently, a small percentage of college graduates successfully
find appropriate employment perfectly suited for their respective courses, resulting to
unemployment and over supply of college graduates in white collar jobs and shortages in skilled
manpower. Further, recent results of professional examinations consistently yielded small
percentage of successful examinees. It is then further aggravated by the continuous emigration of
our professionals seeking employment and high paying jobs in other countries.

This bill seeks to address this pressing and urgent problem, by institutionalizing a
mechanism which will check, screen and monitor the flow of secondary graduates to post-
secondary learning institutions. A National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) will act as
an instrument to maintain a viable balance among the number of white collar employees, skilled
manpower and entrepreneurs through a provision of career direction to secondary graduates.

It aims to provide redirection of skills development program in the tertiary level
specifically aimed at harmonizing and matching the supply from the post-secondary institution
with that of the demand of the country's current employment market, Also, it. shall
institutionalize a career direction program for secondary graduates which would assess the
potential of an individual to enter a four-year degree program, to take a technical/vocational
course or embark to entrepreneurship. Finally, it shall answer the pressing and apparent need to
prepare high school graduates for national development and global competitiveness.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

_ Ged

EVELINA G. ESCUDERO.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

16" CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILLNO. 2204

Introduced by REP. EVELINA G.

AN ACT
CREATING A NATIONAL CAREER ASSESSMENT EXAMINATION TO
INSTITUTIONALIZE A GAREER DIRECTION PROGRAM FOR SECONDARY
GRADUATES, DEFINING ITS SCOPE AND FUNCTIONS AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

See, 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “National Career Assessment

Examination Act”.

Section 2. Nature and Scope — There is hereby instituted a National Career Assessment
Examination (NCAE) which is a system of assessing or evaluating the potential or aptitude of
cach and every high school gfaduate to pursue a four- or five- year college degree course, a

technological / vocational course, or an entrepreneurial course.

It aims to maintain the highest quality of education in the Philippines by regulating and
monitoring the flow of high school graduates to said courses where they have better aptitude or

potential

Section 3. Declaration of Policy — It is hereby declared as the policy of the State to

maintain the highest quality of education for purposes of national development and to respect the
right of every citizen to select of profession or course of study, subject to fair, reasonable, and

equitable admission and academic requirements.

It is further declared that secondary education must give emphasis to the development of

different aptitude and interests of the students so as to equipped them with knowledge and skills


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that will enable them to become useful, productive and gainfully employed members of the

society.

Furthermore, it is hereby declared that an assessment of the career aptitude of high school
graduates shall be made to guide them to take up courses in colleges, universities, vocational or
technological institutions where their potentials will be best developed and where their training

and/or education will be needed for national development.

Section 4. Purposes and Objectives — This Act shall have the following purpose and

objectives:

1. To guarantee protection and promotion of the right of all citizens to quality education

at all levels;

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To provide fair, reasonable and equitable admission and academic requirements;

3. To reduce wastage in education arising from dropping out, non completion and / or
low performing of students in colleges and universities and decreasing percentage of
successfull examinees in professional licensure examinations;

4. To assess the academic, technical and vocational aptitudes of high school graduates in
order to facilitate and rationalize their placement in degree and non-degree courses as
the case may be:

5. To attain excellence in education within the context of national development, to open

more job opportunities to our labor force and to properly utilize their productive

potentials.

Section 5. Scope of Examination — Beginning School Year 2014 ~ 2015 and every year
thereafter, all high school graduates seeking admission to any post-secondary degree or non-
degree course, or a technological / vocational course or to be an entrepreneur shall henceforth be

required to undergo a National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE).

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The results of the test for each examinee shall serve as a guide for him / her as to which
degree or non-degree course or career to take up after high school. Such test results shall serve as
a prerequisite for enrolment by all high school graduates to any post-secondary degree or non-
degree course or a technological / vocational course or entrepreneurial course. The test results
which indicate the skill / aptitude to which a student may aptly succeed shall be one of the basis

of his / her enrolment in a tertiary course.

Section 6. Test Administration - The Department of Education shall conduct an annual
NCAE through the National Education Testing and Research Center (NETRC) to carry out the

provisions of this Act.

Section 7. Powers and Duties of the Secretary - To carry out the purposes and
objectives of the NCAE, the Sccretary of Education is hereby vested with the following
authority:

1. To conduct an annual NCAE through the National Education Testing and Research
Center (NETRC) in order to promote and implement a program that assesses and
evaluates the potential or aptitude of each and every high school graduate to pursue a
four- or five-year college degree course, a technological/vocational course, or a short
entrepreneurial course;

2. To determine the method, form and content, both the test and the process of checking
and evaluating its results, as well as to fix the date and place(s) of examination;

3. To enter, when desirable or necessary, into agreements or contracts with qualified
persons, institutions, organizations, government agencies, entities and establishments to
make payments incidental to such agreements or contracts, to carry out the purposes and
objectives of this Act;

4. To determine as the exigencies or national interest may dictate, exemptions from the
provisions of this Act; and

5. To do such other acts as may be proper and necessary in order to achieve the policies of
the NCAE.

Section 8. Content of Examination — The National Career Assessment Examination

(NCAE) shall measure the following aptitudes and skills of high school graduates to wit:

A. General Scholastic Aptitude

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Scientific Ability- This is an assessment of the individual's scientific abilities and
skills to adopt scientific methods, procedures and processes in constructing
knowledge and solving experimental or real-life problems.

. Reading Comprehension — This measures the ability to understand what has been

stated directly; to analyze, interpret, and criticize what has been read; to recognize
reasonable application of principles or opinions expressed by the author.

. Verbal Ability — This subtest measures the assertive ability of a person in view of

grammatical rules and logical arrangement of ideas.

|. Mathematical Ability — The subtest is used to assess quantitative abilities and

computational skills, particularly on working with numbers, perceiving
relationship between two (2) quantities and solving arithmetic problems.

B. Technical-Vocational Aptitude

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Manipulative Skills — This subtest measures abilities that require perceptual and
visual judgment in determining figures. symbols, patterns, and nature of space as

well as skills in mentally manipulating objects and concrete materials.

Clerical Ability — This is a test of ability and skill to encode data/information and
file office records, and ability to note details.

. Entrepreneurial Skills — This is test to assess one’s capacity to engage in

business undertakings.

|. Non Verbal Ability — This tests a person’s reasoning ability to identify patterns

presented in diagrammatic form.

. Occupational Fields of Interest

C. Occupational Fields of Interest

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Outdoor Interests — This means that one will enjoy working with naturalistic

environment such as plants and animals.

. Mechanical Interests — This means that one will enjoy working with real-world

materials.

. Investigative Interests — This means that one will enjoy activities which require

mental work or using thinking skills.


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4. Artistic Interests — This means that one will enjoy activities that look at the artistic

side of things such as forms, designs and patterns

5. Social Interests — This means that one will enjoy with work activities that assist

other people and promote learning and personal development.

6. Enterprising Interests — This means that one will like activities that have

something to do with carrying out a project especially on business ventures.

7. Clerical Interests - This means that one will enjoy work activities that follow set

of procedures and routines.

Section 9. Rules and Regulations - The Secretary of Education shall within sixty (60)
days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary
for its implementation, Provided, that the full implementation of the program be initiated for high

school graduates of School Year 2014-2015.

Said rules and regulations shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in

the Official Gazette or in one newspaper of general circulation

Section 10. Implementing Agencies - The Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
and Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) shall implement a program in

accordance with the NCAE results, as follows;

1. To promote prudent and economic use of government funds, the CHED shall utilize

the results of NCAE as basis for the selection of grantees for its scholarship program.

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To further promote manpower skills development program, TESDA and CHED shall

adopt an educational program attuned with the NCAE result; and

3. To set the cut-off score for the various courses of CHED and TESDA though their
Technical Panels.

Section 11, Examination Centers and Date of Examination - Unless otherwise
previously announced, the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) shall be
administered throughout the country on the last Wednesday of August of every year, in the place
where the Provincial or City Division Office is located; provided, however that additional
examination centers may be established in the province as may be determined by the Division

Examination Committee and approved by the Secretary of Education,


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Section 12. Processing of the Examination Results - The processing of the examination

result shall be in the National Capital Region through the NETRC.

Section 13. Notices — The notice and certification shall be issued under the following

circumstances:

1. The certificate of ratings of examinees in the National Career Assessment
Examination (NCAE) shall be issued each year by the Secretary of Education through
the NETRC.

2. Each examinee will be given a Certificate of Rating indicating his/her rating in the
domains of the NCAE.

3. A consolidated masterlist of the names of examinees may be made available in the
Di

sion Office concerned.

4. Questions relating to the results of the NCAE may be verified from the masterlist in
the Office mentioned in the preceding paragraph and/or to the NETRC.

5, Issuance of a second copy of the NCAE Certificate of Rating can be requested from
NETRC.

Section 14. Limitations - Results of the National Career Assessment Examination

(NCAE) shall not automatically entitle a student for admission into any particular academic or
professional course in a higher learning institution which impose its own entrance examination

as a requirement for admission.

Institutional results of the NCAE should not be used for any other purposes except for

career guidance, e.g. ranking and advertisement of schools.

Section 15. Appropriation - To carry out the provisions of this Act, the sum of Twenty-

Million Pesos is hereby annually appropriated as part of the appropriation of the Department of

Education out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Section 16.

1. Any official, employee or teacher who violates or causes the violation of the
provisions of this Act. or commits or causes to commit any acts of dishonesty or
misconduct related to the performance of his/her duties in the administration of the
National Career Assessment Examination shall be administratively dealt with in

accordance with existing Civil Service laws, rules and regulations.


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Students who commit or cause the commission of any act of dishonesty or
misconduct concerning their application to, or in taking the National Career
Assessment Examination shall be barred from further taking the same and the
correction of their examination papers withheld, without prejudice to any disciplinary
administrative action that may be taken against them in accordance with existing rules

and regulations of the Department of Education.

3. The Secretary of Education may issue from time to time supplementary instructions
or directions and/or amendments to any provisions of the rules and regulations

implementing this Act as he may deem proper and necessary.

ion of this Act

Section 17. Separability Clause - If for any reason, a portion or provi:
shall be declared unconstitutional, other parts or provisions hereof which are not affected thereby

shall be continue to be in full force and effect.

Section 18. Repealing Clause - All laws, decrees, rules and regulations or parts thereof.

inconsistent with the provision of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Section 19. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its

publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,