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Amendment to teachers professionalization law eyed

January 20, 2025 Camille P. Balagtas 110 views

SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian seeks to amend the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 (Republic Act No. 4784) to enhance the quality of teaching and ensure it adapts to modern technological advancements, ultimately improving the country’s education system.

Gatchalian filed Senate Bill No. 2840, which includes a key provision to introduce alternative pathways for registration as professional teachers, allowing applicants to qualify either through a licensure examination or by submitting a portfolio demonstrating their attainment of professional teaching standards. The aim of these pathways is to expand the pool of competent and skilled teachers, particularly in subjects or areas where specialized knowledge and expertise are highly needed.

“The end goal here is to create highly qualified and professional teachers that will enter our education system. And with these highly qualified teachers, we would also hope to see improved learner outcomes. At the end of the day, we are doing this because we want our learners to improve, and we want learner outcomes to improve as well,” Gatchalian said.

“The purpose of amending the law is to address new technologies and innovations in the teaching profession. Teaching evolves, pedagogy evolves, and systems and procedures evolve. We must continuously review laws governing different professions –in this case, the teaching profession — and assess whether they remain attuned to the changing times,” he added.

Those who want to register as professional teachers are required to take the licensure examination. Under Gatchalian’s proposed measure, a graduate of an accredited teacher education center of excellence, with a consistent passing rate of at least 80% in the last five years, can submit to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) a portfolio demonstrating the attainment of the professional standards for teaching.

The Commission shall provide the criteria of professional standards for teachers and determine their satisfactory demonstration in submitted portfolios. This is to ensure that only qualified and competent applicants shall be given the required certificate of registration and license to teach.

A provision in the bill allows registration without examination, where an applicant who had taught for at least 10 years prior to the measure’s enactment into law submits a teaching experience portfolio, which will be used for the thorough evaluation of acquired knowledge and expertise comparable to professional standards. Within three years of the law’s effectivity, these applicants should apply for registration and issuance of a certificate of registration and professional identification card.