The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill converting the Eastern Samar State University extension units in Arteche and Balangiga into regular campuses, a move expected to broaden access to state-subsidized higher education in Eastern Samar.
House Bill No. 9464, authored by Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales and 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan, seeks to upgrade and expand the ESSU extension units in the municipalities of Arteche and Balangiga into full-fledged campuses of the province’s lone state university.
Each campus will be led by a full-time campus director.
“This measure will significantly expand access to state-subsidized higher education across Eastern Samar. Students in and around Arteche and Balangiga will no longer have to travel far from home to pursue the college degree programs they want,” Gonzales said.
“We remain committed to promoting greater access to high-quality, state-subsidized college education throughout Eastern Samar,” he added.
“There’s no question that higher learning opens more opportunities for gainful employment and gives families a better chance to improve their quality of life,” Gonzales said.
Under the proposed law, the two new campuses will be required to offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs, technical-vocational courses, as well as research and extension services.
ESSU currently serves nearly 25,000 students and has 721 faculty members.
The conversion of the Arteche and Balangiga extension units will increase the total number of ESSU campuses across Eastern Samar to seven.
Aside from its main campus in Borongan City, ESSU operates regular campuses in Can-avid, Guiuan, Maydolong, and Salcedo.