The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a measure converting the extension units of Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) in the municipalities of Arteche and Balangiga into regular campuses, expanding access to state-subsidized higher education in the province.
Under House Bill No. 9464, authored by Eastern Samar Lone District Representative Christopher Sheen Gonzales and 4Ps Party-list Representative Nonoy Libanan, the ESSU extension units in Arteche and Balangiga will be upgraded and expanded into full-fledged campuses of the province’s only state university.
Each campus will be headed by a full-time campus director.
“This measure will significantly expand access to state-subsidized higher education across Eastern Samar.”
“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,” the veteran legislator 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.”
“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,” the seasoned lawmaker stressed.
Under the bill, the two new campuses will be mandated to offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs, technical-vocational courses, as well as research and extension services.
The lone state university in Eastern Samar, ESSU currently serves nearly 25,000 students and has 721 faculty members.
The upgrading of the Arteche and Balangiga extension units will bring to seven the total number of ESSU campuses across the province.
Aside from its main campus in Borongan City, ESSU currently operates regular campuses in the municipalities of Can-avid, Guiuan, Maydolong, and Salcedo.
