Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE OF REI ATIVES
H.B.No.

Introduced by Representative H. Harry L. Roque Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The Constitution, Article 14, Section 1 mandates that the State shall protect and
promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate
steps to make such education available to all. Towards this end, the State shall pursue means
of identifying and developing other ways to make education accessible to all.

‘There are some six institutions accredited by the Commission on Higher Education to
maintain distance education programs. The trend for this type of education has been growing
all over the world, online and otherwise. With the advent of the information age through the
internet, this form of education can be a valuable tool in reaching out to the areas in our
country which do not have access to the campuses.

In order to effectively promote this method of learning, we need to be able to secure
additional information on this subject.

This bill seeks to commission the Department of Education and the Department of
‘Science and Technology to undertake a study that would generate sufficient data to guide the


executive branch of the goverment in making programs and enable us to provide better

legislation on this matter.”

H. HARRY L. ROQUE JR_

* This bill was originally filed by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago in the Sixteenth Congress. First Regular
Session

2


wee

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
First Regular Session

mows Ne BOS7

Introduced by Representative H. Harry L. Roque Jr

AN ACT
REQUIRING AN INDEPENDENT EVALUATION
OF DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Independent Study of
Distance Education Act”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — The Constitution, Article 14, Section 1
mandates that the State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education
at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education available to all. Towards
this end, the State shall pursue means of identifying and developing alternative ways to make

education accessible to all

SECTION 3. Independent Evaluation. — The Secretary of Education shall enter into
an agreement with the Secretary of Science and Technology to conduct a scientifically
correct, statistically valid evaluation of the quality of distance education programs, as
compared to campus-based education programs, at institutions of higher education. Such
evaluation shall include~


21

23

(A) Identification of the elements by which the quality of distance education, as
compared to campus-based education, can be assessed, including clements such as subject

(B) Identification of distance and campus-based education program success, with
Tespect to student achievement, in relation to the mission of the institution of higher
education; and

(C) _ By assessing elements, including access to higher education, job placement
rates, undergraduate graduation rates, and graduate and professional degree attainment rates,
identification of the types of students (including classification of types of students based on
student age) who most benefit from distance education programs; who most benefit from
campus-based education programs; and who do not benefit from distance education

programs.

SECTION 4, /nterim and Final Report, —‘The agreement under Section 3 shall require
that the Secretary of Education submit to the Senate and the House of Representatives

(A) An interim report regarding the evaluation under Section 3 not later than six
(6) months after the date of enactment of this Act; and

(B) A final report regarding such evaluation not later than one (1) year after the

date of enactment of this Act.

SECTION S. Appropriations. To carry out the provisions of this Act, such amount
as is necessary is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National Treasury

SECTION 6. Separability Clause. — If any provision or part thereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall remain
valid and subsisting


SECTION 7, Repealing Clause. — Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to or inconsistent

With the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.

SECTION 8. Effeetivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

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

Approved,