A senator on Friday encouraged senior high school (SHS) learners in the technical-vocational-livelihood (TVL) track to take advantage of the free assessment for national certification (NC) to help improve their chances of finding employment.
This initiative follows the Department of Education’s issuance of DepEd Order No. 003, s. 2025, which outlines the implementation of quality-assured assessments for SHS-TVL learners in coordination with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Learners eligible for the free assessment include those currently enrolled in the SHS-TVL track in public and private schools for School Years 2024–2025 and 2025–2026, those enrolled in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) in the same track and school years, as well as SHS-TVL and ALS graduates from School Years 2022–2023 and 2023–2024.
“Ang mga senior high school students sa TVL track ay hindi na kailangang magbayad para sa assessment at national certification, na makakatulong sa kanilang paghahanap ng magandang trabaho (Senior high school students in the TVL track no longer need to pay for assessment and national certification, which can significantly help them land better jobs),” Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said in a news release.
The national certification, issued by TESDA, validates the learner’s competencies and is widely accepted by employers, providing students with a concrete advantage in the job market.
Gatchalian led efforts to allocate sufficient funding for the program, securing PHP438.16 million for FY 2024 and PHP275.861 million for FY 2025 to support the implementation of the SHS assessment and certification program.
Recognizing the need to scale up the capacity of the program, he also pushed for increased support for hiring assessors.
For FY 2024, PHP50.012 million was earmarked for hiring additional assessors, with another PHP25.882 million allocated in 2025 to expand the pool.
Schools are expected to coordinate with TESDA-accredited assessment centers and submit learner information to verify eligibility and schedule assessments. (PNA)