By Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian Chairman, Senate Committee on Basic Education
One rationale to strengthen the Teacher Education Council (TEC) is to address the disconnect between pre-service and in-service. The in-service teachers are teaching a curriculum that has never been exposed at the pre-service level. Now we’re entering the same scenario and it seems to me that the same problem is recurring.
Under the Excellence in Teacher Education Act (Republic Act 11713), the Secretary of Education serves as the chair of the revamped TEC, which is mandated to improve the quality of teacher education and training in the country. The TEC is also responsible for establishing fundamental requirements for teacher education programs.
The law also mandates the TEC to improve coordination between the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (Ched), and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to ensure coherence between pre-service and in-service teacher education.
I will not discount the fact that we need to activate the TEC considering that we have a new curriculum. And again, part of the responsibilities and powers of the Council is to align the new curriculum with the policy, standards, and guidelines being used at the pre-service level.
I urge the formal documentation of the pilot run of the Matatag K to 10 curriculum, initiated on Sept. 25, 2023 in 35 selected schools across seven regions. Lessons from the pilot, including feedback from teachers and learners, are vital for refining the curriculum’s full implementation.
The acronym Matatag means: Make the curriculum relevant to produce job-ready, Active and responsible citizens; TAke steps to accelerate the delivery of basic education services and provision facilities; TAke good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusiveness learning, and positive learning environment; and, Give support for teachers to teach better.
It is important to ensure the availability of high-quality learning materials, which should be sustained until the full implementation of the curriculum.