If the government is serious about reforming the country’s public school system and improve the learning outcomes of students, it should start by producing the best teachers, Senator Sonny Angara said on Sunday.

Angara made the pitch as he renewed his push for the Senate to prioritize Senate Bill No. 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 quality of education is closely linked to the competency of the teachers. If we want to produce the best students then we should start by providing them with the best teachers,” Angara said.

The senator filed the bill last July 2021 amid the distance learning challenges faced by the Department of Education’s (DepEd) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Angara noted that the quality of basic education in the Philippines deteriorated in time, with the dismal rankings of the country in various international assessments on basic education—such as the Programme for International Student Assessment—reveals a learning crisis in the country despite the reforms introduced in the country’s education system over the years.

If passed into law, the program will provide incentives and full scholarships to potential future teachers and guarantee them a teaching position upon graduation.

Angara also said the TEACH program will also guarantee that future educators will receive the best education and training from our partner Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs).

Grantees may also 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 DepEd.

To qualify for TEACH program, he said applicants must pass the selection process, the aptitude test for teachers and the appropriate examination and assessment by the TEI and have at least an 85 percent general weighted average or its equivalent in the degree that he or she is currently enrolled in or graduated from.

Graduates of the program would be eligible for immediate hiring, subject to passing the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) within five years after their date of hiring.

“We want to produce more quality teachers in our public school system in order to address the deficiencies found in our primary school students so that they will have better opportunities available to them later on in life,” the lawmaker stressed.