Major changes to teacher licensure policies are expected to transform the education landscape, bringing both new opportunities and challenges for future educators and schools across the country.

Signed earlier this week, the Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) between the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) is considered a landmark move to enhance the quality of education in the Philippines.

Witnessed by President Marcos, CHED and PRC signed the JMC in Malacañang.

The agreement will pave the way for aligning the Board Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (BLEPT) with the teacher education curriculum starting in September 2025.

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https://mb.com.ph/2025/4/10/ched-prc-sign-agreement

As stakeholders brace for implementation, the policy changes signal a pivotal shift in how the teaching workforce is trained and deployed --- with far-reaching implications for the future of education.

What is the JMC and why it matters

The JMC between CHED and PRC will align the BLEPT with the updated teacher education curriculum.

President Marcos Jr., who earlier directed the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) to propose and support urgent solutions to licensing gaps while awaiting legislative reforms, lauded the policy as a “timely intervention.”

“We are aligning our systems to ensure the Licensure Examination reflects the actual competencies needed in classrooms today—whether in early childhood education, special needs education, or the many subjects taught in high schools across the country,” the President said.

The JMC introduces specialized licensure examinations for specific degree programs in teacher education. These include:

• Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECEd)
• Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNEd)
• Bachelor of Technical-Vocational Teacher Education (BTVTEd)
• Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd)
• Bachelor of Culture and Arts Education (BCAEd)

The policy aims to ensure that graduates are assessed based on the competencies developed in their chosen specializations, thus producing more classroom-ready professionals.

Impact on the teaching workforce

In a statement issued on Saturday, April 12, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it is set to strengthen its teaching workforce and improve classroom instruction through the newly signed JMC.

As the largest employer of teachers in the country, DepEd expects this development to have far-reaching benefits.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, who also serves as Chairperson of the Teacher Education Council (TEC), emphasized the importance of linking teacher preparation, licensure, and deployment to ensure quality education across the nation.

“Our schools are only as good as our teachers,” Angara said. “They are the heart and soul of our system,” he added.

The policy is seen as a key step toward addressing long-standing teacher shortages in specialized areas, allowing DepEd to recruit educators whose licenses and training match the actual needs of public schools.

“It is up to us to ensure that our learners get the very best quality of teaching,” Angara explained. “With this agreement, we are taking concrete steps toward building a better quality of education for the country,” he added. 

DepEd’s role in strengthening instruction quality

By evaluating graduates with exams specific to their area of specialization, DepEd aims to align teaching assignments more closely with teachers’ expertise, an essential step toward improving instructional quality and learning outcomes across the basic education system.

Crafted by TEC with support from EDCOM II, the phased implementation of the new licensure tracks is expected to begin in the September 2025 examination cycle.

“This JMC has the potential to address drawbacks in teacher supply, particularly in early childhood education and technical-vocational education in senior high schools,” TEC Executive Director Dr. Jennie Jocson said.

“Graduates will be encouraged to take these programs in our teacher education institutions,” she added.

DepEd noted that the JMC, signed on April 10, is part of a broader initiative to professionalize and modernize the teaching profession—ultimately aiming to provide Filipino students with improved learning experiences and outcomes.

CHED’s support for teacher quality improvements

For its part, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) stated that the creation of new LET specialization components will help address issues related to teacher quality.

“CHED fully supports the formulation of specialized licensure examinations for teachers and commits to actively collaborate with the PRC to ensure the effective delivery and implementation of this landmark joint agreement,” said CHED Secretary Prospero De Vera III in a statement.

CHED noted that a key feature of the agreement is the alignment of the LET for Early Childhood Education, Special Needs Education, Technical-Vocational Teacher Education, Physical Education, and Culture and Arts Education with CHED's Program Standards and Guidelines (PSGs).

“This effectively enables graduates of such specializations to take a more suitable test that determines their readiness to teach,” CHED said.

“Ultimately, it is expected to help resolve the teacher-subject mismatch in basic education schools,” the Commission added.

De Vera explained that the JMC will “transform the teacher licensure process” by introducing distinct examinations tailored to each teacher education program specialization, in accordance with the 2017 CHED PSGs.

“It marks a significant milestone in our collective effort to deploy highly qualified, licensed teachers to schools across the country,” he added.

Last week, CHED awarded 120 teacher education institutions for their competence in producing educators—highlighting adherence to accredited program standards, continuous improvement in teaching methodologies, and outstanding performance in the BLEPT.

“These top TEIs are set to assist other Philippine higher education institutions in improving their quality assurance mechanisms to meet and exceed national standards for teacher education,” CHED said.

To date, there are 1,536 Philippine HEIs offering teacher education programs.

Teachers’ group weighs in

The signing of the JMC was widely welcomed by teachers.

In a statement, the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) praised the move by CHED and PRC to finally align BLEPT content with the teacher education curriculum.

The group noted that the previous system “has long been a source of unfairness and confusion for our education graduates.” The signing of the JMC, they said, is “a way to help address the persistent issues of teacher specialization mismatch and low passing rates in the licensure exam.”

While the development is commendable, TDC reminded CHED and Malacañang that “real improvement in teacher education will require sustained commitment beyond curriculum alignment.”

“We call on the government to ensure sufficient funding for SUCs [State Universities and Colleges] that offer teacher education programs, as many of them remain under-resourced despite their crucial role in producing quality teachers for our public schools,” TDC said.

The group also reiterated its call for the “institution of meaningful incentives” to attract the best and brightest students to the teaching profession.

“Without such measures, we will continue to struggle in reversing the trend of declining enrollment in education courses,” TDC added.

Ultimately, the TDC emphasized that if the government is “serious” about improving education in the country, “we must begin by making teaching a genuinely attractive profession—one that offers salaries and benefits at par with other professionals in the country and aligned with global standards.”

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