IN TIME with the celebration of the National Teachers’ Month which started on September 5 and will be culminated on October 5, the Department of Education (DepEd) under the leadership of Secretary Leonor M. Briones underscored anew the importance of the Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS) that is aligned with the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST) in ensuring the delivery of quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education in the country.
Since it will be adopted and rolled out nationwide this school year, all schools offering Kindergarten to Senior High School throughout the country, the teachers had already been oriented.
It could be recalled that the RPMS is being implemented in consonance with the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) Strategic Performance Management System (SPMS). As practiced since its implementation, it follows the four-phase cycle of SPMS prescribed in CSC Memorandum Circular No. 6, s. 2012 and aims to ensure that both teaching and non-teaching personnel focus work efforts toward achieving the Department’s vision, mission, values, and strategic priorities. On the other hand, it was stated in DepEd Order No. 2, s. 2015 (Guidelines on the Establishment and Implementation of RPMS in DepEd), that RPMS is a systemic mechanism to manage, monitor and measure performance, and identify human resource and organizational development needs to enable continuous work improvement and individual growth.
It prompted DepEd to revisit the existing National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) so that it would align with RPMS and other changes introduced by various national and global frameworks such as the K to 12 law, ASEAN integration, globalization, and other changing character of the 21st century learners.
These changes resulted in the development of the PPST. This is enclosed in the DepEd Order No. 42, s. 2017, otherwise known as National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers.
For the record, DepEd revealed that over 10,000 pre- and in-service teachers, principals, supervisors, regional directors and educators, and representatives from government agencies and non-government organizations were consulted and involved in the development and validation of the PPST.
Furthermore, the PPST outlines the required skills and competencies of quality teachers, enabling them to cope with the emerging global frameworks. If the required skills and competencies are not met, various professional development interventions will be given to them. PPST helps assure parents and guardians that their children receive quality basic education from qualified professionals whose competencies are abreast with changes and advancements in the information age.
Contrary to the claim of various groups that DepEd is putting heavy workloads to teachers, Secretary Briones said they have been implementing measures, such as a review of the responsibilities of DepEd personnel, to address the concerns.
She emphasized that DepEd is relentless in conducting reviews that will further simplify the forms and processes, thereby enabling teachers to focus more on teaching.
This Corner hopes that the reforms being taken and acted very seriously by the DepEd higher management and policy makers will give our teachers the respite and comfort they need while doing their duties.