Joyfully and gratefully celebrating Teachers’ Day,  I am very glad to share with the teachers the excitement of the landmark developments not only in teacher education (both pre-service and INSET)  but also in overall teacher development and welfare in our time.

The toiling teachers, those who educate the teachers  as well as those who are now studying to become teachers should be the first ones to know the status of the run of the comprehensive set of reforms affecting the most important resource in the develivery of basic education.

 As one of the participants in the sustained hard work of the TWG-TEDP during the past four years, I can assure you that the highly interrelated set of reforms will soon be able to achieve what we all have been desiring to see in basic education: revolutionizing its delivery and outcome through high-caliber teachers.  

 For your current info, these comprehensive reforms were fully illustrated in the TED Map that was circulate for the first time in 2006 (this is still available upon request).  Pursued as an Action Agenda by the TEDP TWG, they were actually based on the Final Report of the Consultancy of Dr. Allan Bernardo of the DLSU which was completed and released on October 2006. Entitled TEACHER EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (TEDP): A Proposal by the Department of Education for consideration by CHED, TEIs, PRC, CSC & all other interested stakeholders and beneficiaries, the original Report consisted of 22 proposed specific actions cutting across the critical areas of reforms. 

 Beside these 22 action items, however, the TWG, in the course of time, had to include other emerging concerns that arose during the Joint World Bank-AusAid Supervision Missions and in order to address the issues given rise by the other TWGs of the BESRA. 

 Below is the original action matrix and introductory note of Dr. Bernardo’s Report for your information and reading pleasure:

 4.1 Proposed Actions in Support of the NCBTS.  Several specific actions are proposed.  The key thrusts and priority actions are defined in 3.1 to 3.9.  The detailed actions related to the different phases of teacher development are summarized in the following table.

 

Phase in Teacher Development Map

Proposed Action #

Proposed Action
Setting up of NCBTS

1

 Joint inter-agency resolution adopting the NCBTS as unified framework for teacher development

2

 Information dissemination, orientation and advocacy on the NCBTS
Pre-Service Teacher Education

3

 Reforming Recruitment, Admission and Retention Policies of Pre-Service Teacher Education

4

 Aligning the Pre-Service Teacher Education Curriculum with the NCBTS

5

 Developing Effective Mechanisms for the Experiential Learning Component of Pre-Service Teacher Education in Public Schools

6

 Medium-Term Development Plan for Capacity Building for Teacher Education Institutions

7

 Identifying COEs Mandated to Assist in Capacity Building of TEIs

8

 Library and Resource Development Program for TEIs

9

 Rationalization and Stronger Monitoring Teacher Education Institutions

10

 Strengthening Alternatives to The Pre-Service Teacher Education Curriculum
Licensure of Teachers

11

 Reforming the System of Licensing and Certification of Professional Teachers
Recruitment and Hiring

12

 Revising the Policies for Recruitment, Hiring, and Deployment of New Teachers
Induction

13

 Mandatory Induction Programs Permanency
In-Service Education

14

 Assessment of Teacher Development Needs

15

 Program of Needs-Based and School-Based In-Service Teacher Development Programs

16

 Revising the Policies for the Academic Supervision of Public School Teachers

17

 Revising the Framework and Policies for the Evaluation of Teacher Performance
 

18

 Revising the Policies for the Promotion of Teachers and Selection of Master Teachers
Supportive Environment

19

 Adoption of NCBTS for All Awards and Recognition for Teachers

20

 Development of System for Assessing Teaching Quality of Schools

21

 Campaign for Improved Working Conditions and Environments for Teachers

22

 Basic and Applied Research on Teacher Development to Support Policy and Development Programs

 

 

I now note that with the finalization and official adoption of the National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) during the past three years, so many of the above actions like #12 and 14-18 have fallen into their proper places and were pursued in almost one reform package. 

 In accordance with #19, the NCBTS has been adopted by both DepEd and major award-giving bodies like the Metrobank Foundation as instrument for candidate identification, selection and final award.

 The most recent and significant action to look forward to is the completion of the validated draft of the bill to amend the law on the Licensure Examination for Teacher (#11) which has been made more comprehensive and far-reaching in its objective to revolutionize what I would call the “ultimate quality assurance” of the integrated process of teacher formation, qualification and professional development.  You will have to help in the social marketing and advocacy of this item so that it will eventually be legislated by Congress.

 Let’s all hope that beside the NCBTS, the rest of the TEDP reforms will be nationally rolled out under one or few separate policy covers before the end of the present DepEd management. 

 The TEDP has recently been renamed as TED to signify its ceasing to be a mere program by evolving into a veritable mainstream policy agenda.

 I, therefore, challenge the all direct stakeholders named above to become full  partners in the eventual and wholesale implementation of the TED reforms.