La Trinidad, Benguet— The pre-service teachers in Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) assembled for the Student Teachers’ Congress with the theme “Empowering pre-service teachers for the Licensure Examination for Teachers and for the 21st century workplace” on April 29, 2016 at the Benguet State University.
The congress, attended by 973 participants in the region and organized by the Philippine Association for Teachers and Educators-CAR intended to orient the students on the requirements of the Department of Education (DepEd) in hiring new teachers, prepare the students for the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) and strengthen pre-service teachers’ cooperation in the region.
Dr. Mariano D. Marchan Jr., Education Supervisor, CHED-CAR, emphasized the essence of Mahatma Gandhi’s “Be the Change” by challenging the pre-service teachers to bring fresh ideas and changes to the workplace. He added that although climbing the ladder of success is within the grasp of the graduating students and despite their excitement to prove themselves, there is still much learning to do. This is translated to more lessons to be learned and more examinations to be taken in order to bridge the gap between the university and the workplace since the teachers cannot prepare the students 100 percent. “Do not think that you are now free from stressful and busy student life because the real world is bigger and harsher, but these same challenges will bring out the best in you and bring you to another level away from where you were 4 or 5 years ago. Prepare! because this is very important in achieving success, “ Marchan claimed.
Dr. Francis B. Bringas, Assistant Regional Director, DepEd-CAR, elaborated on the DepEd requirements in the hiring of teachers and reiterated the relevance of authenticity of application. Furthermore, the basic rules in hiring and deployment of teacher positions, application process and requirements, evaluation and selection procedures and criteria were clarified by Bringas in his presentation.
On the other hand, Prof. Joselito Gutierrez, President, Philippine Association of Pre-Service Teachers (PAPSET) Inc, oriented the pre-service teachers, through interactive discussion, on preparing for the Licensure Examination for Teachers. The participants were engaged in a reflection with the series of questions posed. According to Gutierrez, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) records reveal that majority of exam takers since 1996 are failing in LET. Because of this fact, he motivated the participants to continue reading for them to be updated since time element is of essence. Moreover, updates regarding the teaching profession such as Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) were pointed out. “Read, read and read based on the competencies to be fully prepared for September 25, 2016 LET,” Gutierrez concluded.
The congress proved that despite cultural diversity among the pre-service teachers, they were united as they actively participated in the various activities.
By MARLYN POKING-WACNAG
