DepEd: Teacher Education Council Secretariat appointments being addressed

The Department of Education (DepEd) said Wednesday that the process of appointing the secretariat officers of the Teacher Education Council (TEC), a body tasked with creating a teacher education roadmap, was underway.

The DepEd issued the statement after the Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) called for Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte’s “swift action” to set up the TEC in a bid to enhance the quality of teaching in the country.

PBEd executive director Justine Raagas said that it has been two years since Republic Act 11713, or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, was signed and a year since its implementing rules and regulations have been published, but up until now, “the enhancements proposed in the law have not been fully realized because officials have yet to be appointed to start the necessary work.”

“We cannot afford any more delay in this matter. We are dealing with a crisis, and we urge the Secretary of Education, as the chairperson of the TEC, to promptly appoint an executive director and other officials for the benefit of aspiring teachers, eventually translating into improvements for our learners in basic education,” Raagas said.

Among the mandates of the TEC under RA 11713 is to set and mandate basic requirements for teacher education programs. It also needs to formulate a strategic plan to proactively develop Teacher Education-Centers of Excellence in every region and province.

The PBEd noted that the operationalization of the TEC could also add to the ongoing efforts of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) and the Research Institute for Teacher Quality in their profiling study on the teacher education institutions, and work could have begun sooner if TEC officials were only appointed earlier.

"The roles of teachers are evolving; we must look into the coherence of teacher education programs and the quality of TEIs if we want to strengthen their competencies," Raagas said.

“The policy is already here. Any further delay in its full enforcement is causing our learners to miss out. While we acknowledge the efforts of the administration to support our teachers, operationalizing the TEC is also a necessary step towards realizing the improvement of teacher education in the country,” she added.

In response, the DepEd said that Duterte led multiple meetings of the TEC, which included discussions on the selection process and the appointment of qualified individuals who will be part of the Council Secretariat.

Technical meetings were also conducted with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) regarding the organizational structure and staffing pattern (OSSP) of the TEC Secretariat.

The DepEd said that the proposed OSSP of the Secretariat was submitted to the DBM on March 25, 2024, and was approved on May 21.

On June 11, the DepEd received a physical copy of the Notice of Organization, Staffing, and Compensation Action through the Office of the Undersecretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development.

“Contrary to the baseless insinuations made by a certain ‘advocacy group,’ DepEd understands the importance of these appointments for the TEC's functionality and the broader goal of enhancing teacher education and training, in as much as we also understand the need to abide by the proper processes in relation to the creation of new plantilla items in government,” the agency said.

The DepEd also told education stakeholders that the appointments ''will be completed in due course and in accordance with existing rules.''

RA 11713 states that the TEC shall be composed of nine members, with the DepEd secretary as the chairperson.

This chairperson is then tasked, upon the concurrence of the members, to appoint the Secretariat’s executive director to “exercise general supervision and control over the technical and administrative personnel of the offices under the Secretariat.”

The Secretariat assists the TEC in executing its policies and programs, as well as provide the necessary administrative and technical support. —VBL, GMA Integrated News