BACOLOD City Representative Greg Gasataya filed House Bill 7961 seeking to convert Sum-ag National High School (SNHS) in the city into Sum-ag State College (SSC).
Gasataya said Sunday, July 29, that he filed the bill on July 25 and it will be referred to the House committee.
“Consistent with the constitutional mandate of the State to protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all, this bill seeks to bring educational opportunities to underprivileged but deserving students unable to pay for the quality but expensive education and costs of living in a private institutions in the province, neighboring provinces, and our country’s capital city,” he said.
Gasataya noted that SNHS is the third biggest public secondary school in the city, with an approximate student population of 4,000, offering Grades 7 to 12 and other special science classes.
The SNHS has a land area of about five hectares. It has the complete equipment, laboratories, and facilities for its special science courses and to accommodate more students and academic programs.
“The conversion of the SNHS into a higher education institution will benefit thousands of students not only in Bacolod but also in the neighboring cities and municipalities such as Silay, Talisay, Kabankalan, Binalnagan, Pontevedra, Murcia, among others due to its strategic location,” Gasataya said.
He said through the conversion of the school into a state college that offers courses on science and technology focusing on agriculture and technical vocational education, as well as both masters and doctoral degrees without compromising quality secondary education, senior high school alumni of the school will be able to readily enroll at the college and thus avail of the ladderized program of education that will enable them to pursue a college degree earning appropriate, equivalent credits for previous learning acquired in their technical vocational courses.
“Such ventures in education affecting the skills and readiness of workers are investments in the human capital which shapes the economy of a community, As such, the State must recognize that the establishment of an educational institution is imperative,” he added.
Section 2 of the proposed bill stated that the College shall primarily provide advanced studies and research, higher professional and technical instructions for special purposes, short-term technical- vocational, and other continuing development programs, and provide necessary instructional and research leadership in agriculture in Bacolod and in the Province of Negros Occidental.
The City Council earlier approved a resolution, authored by Council Cindy Rojas, supporting the conversion of the SNHS into a State College.