MEMBERS of the House of Representatives who are with the 2nd Congressional Commission on Education filed a measure that will expand the nomination pool for the Board of Professional Teachers, add more qualifications for teacher applicants and mandate a refresher course for those who failed the exams thrice.

House Bill 8559 was filed by EDCOM 2 Co-Chairpersons Mark Go and Roman Romulo, along with Commissioners Rep. Khalid Dimaporo, Rep. PJ Garcia and Rep. Kiko Benitez.

The measure aims to amend Republic Act 7836 or the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act. The law, enacted in 1994, created the Board for Professional Teachers under the supervision of the Philippine Regulation Commission.

It aims to widen the nomination for the members of the Board of Professional Teachers by including the Teachers Education Council, DepEd, accredited association of private schools and school administrators, and the Commission on Higher Education in the selection of nominees.

“The proposed amendments seek to improve and attune the provisions of RA 7836 with the prevailing situation and needs of the education sector and to further meet the objectives set by the law,” the lawmakers said in their explanatory note.

HB 8559 also proposes additional academic qualifications for applicants who will take the licensure examination for teachers. Thus, special needs teachers in the elementary and secondary grades should have a bachelor’s degree in special needs in education; technology and livelihood education teachers in the elementary and secondary grades should have a bachelor’s degree in Technology and Livelihood Education; TLE teachers in grades 9-10, SHS teachers for the Tech-Voc Livelihood Track, TVET trainers/instructors, and faculty members in higher education institutions will be required to have a bachelor’s degree in Technical-Vocational Teacher Education.

Meanwhile, physical education teachers in the elementary and secondary grades should have a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education; and teachers in the secondary grades, specifically SHS under the arts and design track, need a bachelor’s degree in Culture and Arts Education.

The measure will also add a requirement to complete a refresher course in a CHED-recognized Teacher Education Institute if the applicant failed to pass the written examination for teachers three times. The refresher course must be completed before an agreement can be allowed to retake the test.