MANILA.- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Association of Deans of Philippine Colleges of Nursing (ADPCN) on Saturday agreed to provide free one-week special review sessions to any of the 17,000 June 2006 nursing board passers who would choose to take tests 3 and 5.

The partial retake was suggested by the United States' Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) after it decided that it won't issue VisaScreen certificates to those who took and passed what it called the "compromised" June 2006 nursing licensure exam.

Labor Secretary Arturo Brion and ADPCN president Carmelita Divinagracia signed a memorandum of agreement detailing the provision of 64 hours of review classes (40 hours for test 3 or medical nursing and 24 hours for test 5 or psychiatric nursing) for those who intend to take the tests to coincide with the regular nursing licensure exam on June and December 2007.

The review classes, which would have between 80 and 100 students, will be held from April 16 to June 3.

The agreement said DOLE would shoulder the cost of the review at P1,200 per enrollee to be paid directly to the participating schools.

The eight schools which have agreed to host the review classes and also to act as regional coordinators are: University of the Philippines-Manila, University of Santo Tomas, St. Louis University in Baguio City, St. Paul University Philippines in Cagayan Valley, St. Paul University in Iloilo, Siliman University, Xavier University in Cagayan De Oro City, and San Pedro College in Davao.

The 18 other schools which will host the review classes are: Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, Saint Paul University-Manila, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center, Trinity College-Quezon City, Remedios T. Romualdez Memorial School in Makati Medical Center, Mariano Marcos State University-Batac, Ilocos Norte, and Saint Mary's University in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

De La Salle University-Dasmarinas Health Science Campus, Southern Luzon Polytechnic College, Sacred Heart College of Lucena City, Adventist University of the Philippines, West Visayas State University, Saint Paul University-Dumaguete, Cebu Doctors University, Cebu Normal University, Velez College, Remedios T. Romualdez Medical Foundation, and University of the Philippines-Palo, Leyte.

The participation of two other schools, one in region 10 (northern Mindanao) and another in 12 (southern Mindanao), will be announced later.

Starting March 21 to April 4, reviewers may register for the review classes on line at www.specialnursingreview.dole.gov.ph or personally at any of the identified schools or at DOLE regional and provincial offices.

"Registrants shall be given three alternative choices of schools and schedules. The schedules of review classes per school shall be published by DOLE and shall also be available online," the memorandum of agreement reads.

Earlier, Brion said the government would also shoulder the cost of the exam itself.