Education Secretary Leonor underscored the need to prepare a “new breed” of teachers who will be trained to manage the challenges and changes in the education sector after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

“We must not only ensure and maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the teachers but also prepare a new breed of teachers to teach in the post-COVID-19 learning environment,” the Department of Education (DepEd) Chief said.

To reinforce the field study and teaching internships of pre-service teachers, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) came up with a joint policy which highlights enhanced experiential, developmental, and competency-aligned learning.

DepEd, through the Teacher Education Council Secretariat (TECS), collaborated with CHED for the joint policy, which --- according to CHED Commissioner Aldrin Darilag -- aims to ensure that field study and teaching internships are “experiential.”

This, he explained, can be done by using “various new normal learning modalities, developmental through coaching and mentoring, and aligned with the learning continuity plan” and the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) of DepEd.

Meanwhile, TECS Executive Director Runvi Manguerra emphasized the importance of the pre-service training especially for teachers.

“We must continuously provide relevant and responsive Pre-service Teacher Education to prepare the next batch of quality Filipino teachers,” Manguerra, who is also a member of CHED Technical Panel for Teacher Education (TPTE), explained.

Ateneo Center for Educational Development Director and another member of CHED TPTE Dr. Carmela Oracion also discussed the joint memorandum’s context and rationale during an orientation.

Oracion explained further acronyms and key terminologies, as well as the provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the cooperating schools or DepEd offices, and Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs).

“We would like to emphasize that although the endeavor and the relationship between CHED and DepEd are governed by the Memorandum of Agreement, the most crucial factor in preparing would-be teachers to teach at the frontlines is collaborative work,” Oracion said.

Likewise, Marie Therese Angeline Bustos, Director of the Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Center Philippines and another member of the CHED TPTE, shared the expected teaching-learning activities in the field study courses and teaching internship, which follow the new Philippine Professional Standard for Teachers (PPST).

Meanwhile, Region IV-A OIC-Assistant Regional Director and Rizal Schools Division Superintendent Cherrylou Repia also stressed the significance of pre-service education and the teaching practice in the context of the restrictions posed by the pandemic.

To guide the stakeholders, a practical manual was also introduced. It covers the guidelines and tools that can be used by TEI supervisors, teachers, parents, and cooperating teachers --- particularly in the global health situation.