The 2025 national budget will continue funding free assessments for the issuance of national certifications (NCs) of senior high school (SHS) learners under the technical-vocational livelihood track (TVL).

It also carries a special provision making it mandatory for SHS-TVL learners to undergo free assessments.

These will improve certification rates and boost the employability of SHS-TVL learners, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said in a news release on Saturday.

Gatchalian said he pushed for an allocation of PHP438.162 million under the 2024 national budget to fund the free assessment and certification program of SHS-TVL learners.

“The funding, however, remained largely unutilized, especially because participation in the program is voluntary,” he noted.

Out of 1,039 SHS-TVL learners who took the assessment last year, only 926 got certified.

The 2024 national budget’s original target was to certify 420,967 graduates for Academic Year 2023-2024, but this was lowered to 197,077.

“To ensure the continuation of the free assessment and certification for SHS-TVL learners under the 2025 national budget, PHP275.86 million is allotted for the program on top of the unutilized funds from fiscal year 2024,” Gatchalian said.

The allocation will be lodged under the Department of Education budget.

“Patuloy nating pagsisikapang mabigyan sila ng libreng assessment para sa kanilang national certification. Maliban sa paglalaan ng pondo, isinulong din natin ang polisiya para maging mandatory sa mga mag-aaral ng TVL sa senior high school ang sumailalim sa assessment (We will continue efforts to provide them with free assessments for their national certifications. Besides funding allocations, we also pushed the policy of mandatory assessment for SHS-TVL learners),” Gatchalian said. (PNA)