The Senate has ratified the bicameral conference committee report on a measure that seeks to improve the quality of teacher education and training in the country. For Senator Win Gatchalian, this is a significant step forward to address the crisis hounding the country’s education sector.
The bicameral conference committee report resolved the differences in Senate Bill No. 2152 and House Bill No. 10301. The measure, entitled “Excellence in Teacher Education Act,” seeks to revamp the Teacher Education Council (TEC) by strengthening coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
Under the measure, the TEC will set and mandate basic requirements for teacher education programs. This is to ensure a strong and transparent link between the outcomes of teacher education programs and the professional standards for teachers and school leaders, research and international best practices. The TEC will quality assure these basic requirements, monitor the compliance of Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs), and ensure that the CHED is implementing these requirements.
While the TEC was first created by virtue of Republic Act No. 7784, Gatchalian lamented the dismal results of the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) over the past years. Between 2010 and 2021, only 36% of secondary education takers passed the LET, while only 28% passed at the elementary level. Gatchalian also pointed out that based on the results of the 2019 LET for both Elementary and Secondary levels, roughly four out of five TEIs are considered Worse or Poor Performers – those with passing rates of less than 50%.
“Upang maiangat natin ang kalidad ng edukasyong natatanggap ng ating mga kabataan, kailangang tiyakin din nating dekalidad ang edukasyon at training ng kanilang mga guro. Sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatatag sa Teacher Education Council, matitiyak nating lubos na mahahasa ang kakayahan ng ating mga guro sa bawat yugto ng kanilang pagsasanay at edukasyon,” said Gatchalian, principal author and sponsor of the measure.
The measure also mandates the TEC to establish a roadmap for teacher education, which shall serve as a guide for designing relevant, responsive, innovative, creative, and collaborative programs. The roadmap shall be submitted to the CHED for inclusion in the National Higher Education Roadmap.
Gatchalian also thanked the co-authors and co-sponsors of the measure: Senators Joel Villanueva, Bong Revilla, Jr., Sonny Angara, Nancy Binay, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto.
