In their commitment to improving teacher education in the country, the Second Congressional Commission on Education discussed on January 14 three Senate Bills filed last year, each amending parts of the Teacher Professionalization Act of 1994.
EDCOM 2 discussed Senate Bills 2840, 2830, and 2884, filed by Senators Gatchalian, Loren Legarda, and Bong Revilla Jr., respectively, amending RA 7836 so as to raise the standard of teacher institutions and their graduates from elementary, secondary, and college-level institutions, as well as skills-based training centers like TESDA.
The proposed amendments come in response to concerning data from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, which reported alarmingly low passing rates of 33% for elementary and 40% for secondary levels in the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT).
Additionally, consultations have revealed a mismatch between what teachers study in college and what is required for the BLEPT. For instance, those who completed degrees in early childhood education are forced to take the exam for elementary education, while graduates specializing in physical education are required to take the examination for Music, Arts, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH).
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Co-Chair of EDCOM 2 and Chair of the Senate Basic Education Committee stated that the amendments were needed as part of a long-term solution to improving education in the country, as skills and literacy rates of learners could only be impacted so far as to the limits of their teachers’ skills.
“In 31 years, we’ve never amended this law. We also need to look at how we can future-proof it to ensure that it evolves with the changing landscape of the teaching profession,” Gatchalian said.
The original Republic Act 7836 or the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994 was enacted in 1994 based on recommendations from the first EDCOM and was partially amended in 2004 through Republic Act 9293.
EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee echoed Gatchalian’s call for reform.
“This is a priority for EDCOM, and we’ve been consulting with PRC, DepEd, CHED, TEC, and teacher education institutions since 2023. It’s clear that amending this law is overdue and critical in addressing the current learning crisis,” Yee said.
Among the key proposed changes are addressing the mismatch between exam content and undergraduate courses, requiring candidates who fail three times to complete a refresher course before re-taking the exam, and allowing more flexibility in teacher licensure to recognize the diverse qualifications and experiences of teaching professionals.
To incentivize high standards and recognize practical teaching skills, Yee also referenced the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) model, where specialized teachers are not required to hold BLEPT licensure due to their advanced degrees and continuous training.
“Studies show that teachers with content expertise tend to perform better, especially in higher levels of secondary education. We want to explore the possibility of exemptions and limited practice, such as what’s already allowed under RA 10533 for specialized STEM courses in senior high school,” Yee added.
Earlier, House Bill 9979, filed by EDCOM 2 Co-Chair Rep. Roman Romulo and other EDCOM 2 Commissioners, including Reps. Mark Go, Khalid Dimaporo, Pablo John Garcia, and TESDA Director-General Kiko Benitez, amending RA 7836, was passed by the House of Representatives on March 19, 2024.
Yesterday, January 15 marked the last day of application for the upcoming March 2025 BLEPT held by the Professional Regulation Commission.
