The Philippine Educators Alliance for Community Empowerment (PEACE) Party-list thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for signing into law a measure that seeks to improve the quality of teacher education and training in the country.
“We cannot produce excellent students without excellent teachers. If we are to make headway in improving the quality of education, we must ensure that those tasked with the transfer of knowledge are also top quality.”
Abante said the new measure if properly implemented, would help in raising the quality of teachers-in-training and could yield better overall results in the licensure examination for teachers (LET), which has seen dismal numbers over the years.
“Thus, we would like to thank the President for signing into law the Excellence in Teacher Education Act (Republic Act 11713), which we believe will be crucial in improving teachers’ capacities and capabilities,” PEACE Party-list president and first nominee Marie Paz T. Abante said.
R.A. 11713 aims to enhance teacher education and training by strengthening the Teacher Education Council and providing scholarship grants to deserving students in the teacher education program.
The new law also mandates that the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines craft and provide quality professional development programs on teacher education to in-service teachers, school leaders, and other teaching-related personnel in all public and private basic education institutions.
The Teacher Education Center of Excellence (Teacher Education-COE) would also be created, which refers to a public or private college institute, school, or agency, which may exist by itself or within a university or college, that is engaged in providing academic training for both formal and non-formal pre-service and continuing education of students, teachers, school leaders, and teacher educators.
The Teacher Education-COE shall be established in strategic places in all regions of the country.
The new law also mandates that the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines craft and provide quality professional development programs on teacher education to in-service teachers, school leaders and other teaching-related personnel in all public and private basic education institutions.
Abante said the new measure if properly implemented, would help in raising the quality of teachers-in-training and could yield better overall results in the licensure examination for teachers (LET), which has seen dismal numbers over the years.
As well, teachers who wish to pursue further education but are prevented from enrolling because of the prohibitive cost of graduate school would also be able to rely on the government’s support, she added.
Between 2014 and 2019, the average passing rate for the elementary LET was only 28 percent, while the result of the secondary LET was only 36 percent.
“Raising the passing rate for the LET would show that our interventions are working—and we do need to increase the number of passers because the country needs more teachers,” said the long-time educator.
Abante urged the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to “urgently implement the badly needed reforms that the law introduces.”
