SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian pressed the need to ensure quality education and training for teachers following the release of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment results.

The 2022 PISA results revealed that from 2018 to 2022, there was an increase in the percentage of Filipino students in schools lacking teaching staff and with inadequate or poorly qualified teaching staff.

Data based on the reports of principals showed that in 2022, 43% of students were in schools whose capacity to provide instruction is hindered by a lack of teaching staff, and 19% by inadequate or poorly qualified teaching staff.

PISA results further suggest that before accounting for schools’ and students’ socioeconomic profiles, a unit of increase in the index of education staff shortage resulted in a decrease in Math score by 6 points.

To ensure that schools will have qualified teaching staff, Gatchalian reiterated the need to fully implement the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, which seeks to improve the quality of teacher education and training in the country.

The law, which Gatchalian authored and sponsored during the 18th Congress, revamps the Teacher Education Council to strengthen the coordination between the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Professional Regulation Commission.

By strengthening the coordination between these bodies, the law seeks to ensure coherence between pre-service and in-service teacher education and training.

 The TEC is also mandated to establish basic requirements for teacher education programs.

 The Excellence in Teacher Education Act also mandates the creation of a Student Incentives Support Office, which will create and implement programs that will attract top students to the teaching profession.

 These include scholarships, grants-in-aid, loan programs, subsidies, stipends and other similar benefits and incentives.

 “Ang ating mga guro pa rin ang may pinakamahalagang papel sa pagkatuto ng ating mga mag-aaral, kaya naman dapat nating tiyakin na nakakatanggap din sila ng mataas na kalidad ng edukasyon at pagsasanay. Ang pagpapatupad nito nang maayos ang dahilan kung bakit natin ipinasa ang Excellence in Teacher Education Act,” said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.