Committee on Higher Education approves bills to build NEUST campuses in Nueva Ecija

The Committee on Higher and Technical Education approved the two measures pushing for the construction of Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST) in the municipalities of Aliaga and Cuyapo in the last Congress session on Monday, February 20.

Nueve Ecija 1st District Representative Mika Suansing authored House Bill No. 1380 (NEUST Aliaga Campus Act) or House Bill No. 1381 (NEUST Cuyapo Campus Act) to give 13,500 students in the first district of the said province access to affordable education.

NEUST Aliaga will benefit 6,936 high school or college students in the municipality itself (2,844) and the neighboring towns of Quezon (1,308) and Zaragosa (2,784).

On the other hand, the Cuyapo Campus can help 6,448 students in Cuyapo (2,920) and Guimba (3,528).

Suansing said that the absence of a private or public college and university in the two municipalities affects the completion rate of students by 56-72 percent.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Higher and Technical Education also gave HB 6550 a nod.

Penned by Nueva Ecija 3rd District Representative Ria Vergara and co-authored by three other provincial representatives, HB 6550 will designate NEUST as an official state university and college (SUC) and replace its former name Nueva Ecija State University (NESU). (Armi Carranza/RN Guimba)