‘Child-minding center’ sought

Fast-track BCC accreditation, school officials told

BACOLOD City – Fast- track the accreditation of the Bacolod City College ( BCC) to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Rep. Greg Gasataya urged BCC officials.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the free tuition bill into a law on Aug. 3.

Republic Act 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, gives full tuition subsidy for students in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges, and state- run technical- vocational schools in the country.

Students may avail themselves of free tuition once BCC gets CHED-accredited, said Gasataya.

BCC is a community college operated by the city government.

Gasataya said he instructed BCC officials to process the accreditation last year yet. He also made follow-ups with CHED over the last few weeks.

BCC needs to submit a few more requirements, Gasataya learned. He did not say what the requirements were.

Many schools were also applying for CHED accreditation, he stressed./

PN

BACOLOD Ci t y – The Sangguniang Panlungsod ( SP) asked Mayor Evelio Leonardia to open a “child-minding center” at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC).

The “child-minding center” is a place where working parents may temporarily leave their children.

“This will be beneficial not only to the parents and children but to the local government as well,” said Councilor Em Ang, author of the SP resolution making the request.

The S P a pproved t he resolution last week.

Ang believes the absences of the city government’s parent employees will be minimized once such center is opened at city hall.

Executive Order No. 340, issued by then President Fidel Ramos on Feb. 5, 1997, directs government agencies to provide day care services to their employees’ children under 5 years old.

There used to be a child- minding center at the BCGC but the area is currently being used for a different purpose, Ang said./

PN