The Department of Education (DepEd) pushed for continued upgrading of teacher education and training as it welcomed the passage of Republic Act 11713 or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act.
“With the passage of this landmark measure, we look forward to radically upgrading teacher education and training towards education quality in the country,” DepEd said in a statement.
The RA 11713 strengthens pre-service teacher education by broadening the mandate and functions of the Teacher Education Council (TEC) chaired by the Secretary of Education.
“By increasing the role of the TEC in teacher education, and by upgrading the standards of teacher education institutions in the country, we can ensure the responsiveness of teacher preparation to the needs of the basic education sector,” DepEd said.
Likewise, DepEd also welcomed the codification of DepEd’s ongoing transformation of the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) in the law.
“The transformation of NEAP is well underway, covering organizational and program transformation, as well as the modernization of its training facilities,” DepEd said.
DepEd explained that the integration of NEAP in RA 11713 operationally converges pre-service and in-service teacher education and training in terms of governance, institutional relationships, program coverage, and implementing mechanisms.
Meanwhile, Briones thanked President Duterte, legislators from the Senate and the House of Representatives, and advocates for their collective work and support for this breakthrough for teacher quality, "which is an indispensable component of addressing the challenge of quality in education in the country.”