Press Release - Urgent need to invest in quality teacher education - EDCOM 2, World Bank

"Quality learning is contingent upon quality teaching. If we can spend billions on missiles and submarines, why don't we spend on this program for teacher education?", says EDCOM 2 Chairperson on the Sub-committee on Teacher Education Senator Koko Pimentel during an online symposium on teacher education held June 05, 2024.

The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) and World Bank discussed the urgent need to invest in quality teacher education and actions to address the prevailing concerns on pre-service teacher programs in the country, including quality assurance.

This event was organized in collaboration with the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Philippine Business for Education, and the World Bank Philippine Country office.

EDCOM 2 Co-chairperson Congressman Roman Romulo, PIDS President Dr. Ancieto Orbeta, Jr., EDCOM 2 Standing Committee Members Dr. Jennie Jocson and Dr. Mel Oracion were also present in the said symposium. DepEd officials were also in attendance, led by Teacher Education Council Executive Director Runvi Manguera, and DepEd Directors Jennifer Lopez and Leila Areola.

Underperforming TEIs

"Teacher education and development in the Philippines faces serious challenges, including underperforming teaching education institutions (TEIs). This fact is exemplified by the very low passing rates in professional board examinations, which are lower than those of other professions. Such statistics underscore the urgent need for reform and improvement in our TEIs to ensure that they produce highly competent and effective teachers critical for student learning," says PIDS President Orbeta.

Data shows that performance in teacher licensure examinations has been dismal, hovering at an average passing rate of 33% for elementary and 40% for secondary.

"What is worse is that based on our analysis, between 2012 to 2022, many higher education institutions (HEIs) or teacher education providers-- 77 offering Bachelor of Elementary Education, and 105 offering Bachelor of Secondary Education, continued to operate despite having zero passing rates. This calls for improved quality assurance among our HEIs," says EDCOM II Executive Director Karol