Teacher education
THE inclusion of the government’s commitment to provide quality teacher education in the 2023-28 Philippine Development Plan (PDP) is a welcome development in the education sector.
The government, through concerned state offices and agencies, needs to improve the quality of its college graduates if we are to maintain our standing as a major manpower exporter.
We share the view of various quarters, particularly educators and manpower exporters, that we need quality education to produce high-quality Filipino professionals.
There’s a need to train our youngsters to become globally competitive amidst the rising number of other nationalities now seeking jobs in the US, Europe and the Middle East.
That’s why we commend the administration of President Marcos for manifesting its commitment to provide quality teacher education by including it in the 2023-28 PDP.
Senator Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said that Republic Act (RA) No. 11713, otherwise known as the Excellence in Teacher Education Law, is highlighted in the 2023-28 PDP.
Signed into law lasr year, the new act revamped the Teacher Education Council (TEC) by strengthening the coordination among the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and the Professional Regulation Commission.
The TEC is mandated to set basic requirements for teacher education programs and ensure the coherence of teacher education and training from pre-service to in-service.
Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on basic education, said the teacher is the most crucial factor in education, but lamented the poor results of teacher licensure examination examinations over the years.
From 2014 to 2022, records show that the average passing rate for licensure examinations for teachers in the elementary level was only 34 and 40 in the secondary level.
