HOUSE OF REPRE
Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Constitution Hills, Quezon City

Date: |< J

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

BILLS AND inde

HOUSE BILL NO. 1446.

ESENTATIVES:
RECEIVED

RECISTRATION UNF

Introduced by Representative Salvador B. Belaro Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill seeks to provide a unified, systematized, standardized and cost-
efficient system of accrediting private and public schools in the country. Such
system will avoid confusion, save a lot of time and money, enable our schools
to focus on their primary role to teach and eliminate corruption in the
accreditation process.

Accreditation of schools covering the programs, courses, curriculum,
faculty and facilities has always been a part of the Philippine educational
system. Purportedly, the main objective of which is to raise the standards and
quality of education in both the private and public sectors.

At present, we have different standards and systems for school
accreditation both at the program and institutional levels. Thus, we have on one
hand, the presence of accreditation bodies for private schools such as the
Philippine Association of Acerediting Agencies of Schools, Colleges and
Universities (PAASCU), Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities
Commission on Accreditation (PACUCOA), and the Association of Christian
Schools, Colleges and Universities Accrediting Association, Inc, (ACSCU-
AAD). On the other hand, for public schools, there are the Accrediting Agency
of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACUP), and the
Association of Local Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation
(ALCUCOA). For vocational schools, there is also the Technical Vocational
Education Accrediting Agency of the Philippines (TVEAAP). All these various
accrediting bodies fall under an umbrella organization, the Federation of
Accrediting Agency of the Philippines (FAAP). Just recently, the Commission


on Higher Education (CHED) even encouraged academic institutions including
state colleges and universities (SUCs) to undergo the international standard for

organization (ISO) accreditation
Ab be

ATTY, SALVADOR B. BELARO, JR.
Representative
1-Ang Edukasyon Party List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Constitution Hills, Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

46
House BILL No, 1456

Introduced by Representative Salvador B. Belaro Jr,

AN ACT
SYSTEMATIZING, STANDARDIZING AND UNIFYING THE
SCHOOL ACCREDITATION PROCESS IN THE PHILIPPINES

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 “Unified School
Accreditation Act of 2016.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. The State recognizes the crucial role of private
and public schools in developing the most important resource of the country-
its people. Undoubtedly, the quality of Philippine education needs to be raised
to a level of excellence and global competitiveness.

SEC. 3. Scope. This Act shall cover all accrediting bodies for schools and
academic programs at all levels in both the public and private sectors.

SEC. 4. Procedure. The Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on
Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority (TESDA) shall convene an Accreditation Committee
that shall study, formulate and recommend a set of guidelines and procedures
for the implementation of a unified system of school accreditation in the country
that will enable the schools to meet excellent and globally competitive academic
standards at a cost-efficient manner, avoiding redundant and_ irrelevant
accreditation requirements and procedures.


SEC. 5. Transition. Once the unified school accreditation system has been
adopted for implementation by the DepEd, CHED and TESDA, all schools shall
be given a mandatory five (5) year compliance period to fully comply with the
minimum requirements under the unified school accreditation guidelines.

SEC. 6. Rules and Regulations. Additional rules and regulations which will
further the purpose of this Act may be determined or formulated by the DepEd,
CHED and TESDA in consultation with the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST)and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

SEC. 7. Separability Clause. If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or provision not otherwise affected
shall remain valid and subsisting.

SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. All laws, orders, issuances rules and regulations or
parts thereof inconsistent with any provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
modified or amended accordingly.

SEC. 9. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved.