On National Teachers’ Day, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian renewed his commitment to ensure providing quality education for all aspiring teachers in the country.
Gatchalian, author and sponsor of the Excellence in Teacher Education Act (Republic Act No. 11713 which was signed into law last April, said it is imperative to uphold quality teacher education and training which entails the proper implementation of the said law.
The law primarily seeks to improve the quality of teacher education and training in the country by strengthening the Teacher Education Council (TEC).
“Upang matiyak natin ang dekalidad na edukasyon para sa ating mga mag-aaral, kailangang iangat din natin ang kalidad ng pagsasanay at edukasyon na natatanggap ng mga guro, lalo na’t sila ang nagpapasa ng kaalaman sa ating mga mag-aaral (To ensure quality education for our students, we need to elevate the quality of training and education that teachers receive, especially since they pass on their knowledge to our students),” said Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
The revamped TEC, he said, will strengthen coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). The TEC will also set and mandate basic requirements for teacher education programs, which the CHED will implement.
It would also be mandated to establish a roadmap for teacher education, which will be submitted to the CHED for inclusion in the National Higher Education Roadmap.
The roadmap will also guide the designing of relevant, responsive, innovative, creative, and collaborative programs, Gatchalian said.
The senator has received the Gawad Sulo for Public Service, the highest award given by the Philippine National University (PNU), for working to ensure the enactment of the Excellence in Teacher Education Act.
The award is given to outstanding individuals, groups, organizations, or institutions with significant contributions to the development of education, particularly teacher education.
Gatchalian has also vowed to uphold the welfare of teachers through his other measures, particularly, his topmost priority measure in the 19th Congress which is the Teacher Salary Increase Act, which seeks to increase and adjust the salary grades of public school teachers.
The lawmaker said he also has plans to propose amendments to the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers or Republic Act No. 4670 to make it more responsive to teachers’ current needs.
“Ako ay taos-pusong nagpapasalamat sa serbisyong ibinibigay ng ating mga guro para tiyakin ang magandang kinabukasan ng ating mga kabataan. Nais ko ring bigyang pugay ang kanilang sakripisyo upang tiyaking magpapatuloy ang edukasyon kahit na dinanas natin ang pandemya ng COVID-19 (I am truly grateful to the service rendered by our teachers to make sure that our youth have a better future. I also want to give honor to their sacrifices to make sure education will continue despite the Covid-19 pandemic),” Gatchalian stressed.