Angara bill seeks to produce quality public school teachers

by Cecille Suerte Felipe (The Philippine Star), 9 Aug 2021

MANILA, Philippines — To improve the quality of basic education and learning outcomes of students, Sen. Sonny Angara is pushing a program that aims to produce the best teachers for the public school system in the country.

Angara noted that the Philippines’ dismal rankings in various international assessments on basic education, such as the Program for International Student Assessment, Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics, and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, revealed a learning crisis despite reforms introduced in the education system over the years.

He believed that the results could be attributed to factors that include the individual and household, school inputs such as curriculum, learning environment and community support, and the quality of teachers and their competence to teach learners.

“The quality of education is closely linked to the competency of teachers. If we want to produce the best students, then we should start by providing them with the best teachers,” Angara said.

Last July, he filed Senate Bill 2312 that seeks to establish a Teacher Education for Achievers Program or TEACH to ensure that future educators are classroom-ready and contributors to improve learning outcomes.

The program seeks to attract the brightest future teachers by providing them with incentives such as full scholarships and a guaranteed job upon graduation.

“Apart from the grant of incentives, the program will also guarantee that our future teachers will receive the best education and training from our partner Teacher Education Institutions,” Angara said.

The TEACH program offers two tracks: a certificate in teaching program track for graduates of any bachelor’s degree other than education, and an undergraduate level track for incoming third year college students.

Grantees may choose from any of the following degrees: early childhood education; special education; elementary education; secondary education; chemistry, mathematics, physics and biology for teachers; a certificate in teaching program or its equivalent, and similar degrees as may be approved by the Department of Education.